| Hi! What gorgeous 70 degree gardening weather!! I've heard that there is an impatiens that does well in the sun. It is called a Sunpatience, I believe. Please elaborate on this. Are these readily available now or just in catalogs? What is the whole story on these. I'm very curious. Dorian |
| It is gorgeous garden weather! Sunpatiens are spectacular. Here's the story: SunPatiens were bred in Japan by one of the world?s most famous flowering breeding company, Sakata Seed. Sakata is well known for pansies and is the originator of the well known 'Majestic Giant' Pansy. The breeders at Sakata had been trying for years to find a new flowering plant to thrive in the hot and humid summers of Japan ? if you can imagine hotter and more humid than even Florida! After many ideas and breeding crosses, they developed SunPatiens to handle both sun and heat. The first SunPatiens are upright garden plants with a V-shaped branching habit and many flowers. Sakata will be adding other colors of SunPatiens in the next few years, and we are currently helping to test plants for later introduction. What makes these SunPatiens so special is they are a new species ? a cross between traditional New Guinea impatiens and a wild impatiens. The plants have the good sized flower of a New Guinea but now have strong garden vigor that allows them to grow well in all summer conditions. Garden vigor and a slightly thicker leaf wall are the secret to impatiens sun and heat show. SunPatiens? will be in all Home Depot garden centers in mid- to late May, while supplies last. In addition, they may be available earlier in the warmer areas of the country. At this time they are also available through some catalogs. Hope this answers all your questions! |
