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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-04-29, Page 42Impatiens Ideal for shady spots By John Hughes Soils and Crops Branch OMAF Most hoineowrers have at least one area in their garden that requires shade -loving plants, and the impatiens, is ideal. When we talk about .spring, plants, we think immediately of sunny annuals, such as petunias and marigolds. In actual fact, impatiens have been gaming in overall sales at a much faster rate than either of these two. The reasons are many. Today's varieties will truly bloom in full shade all summer long: String basal branching makes for a bushy, compact plant, that performs well in a variety of soil conditions. Many types of impatiens are self pinching and self cleaning -of old flowers. In addition; - most of our built-up residential areas have a high degree of well-established landscape that results in shaded garden area. Plant breeders have. made a significant contribution to the impatiens family and have been-. chiefly responsible for their rise in importance. The ALL—AMERICA SELECTIONS BRONZE MEDAL 1981. IMPATIENS OR SULTANA BLITZ/ HYBRID Versatile begonias What can you grow on your • kitchen window sill, in your greenhouse year-round, in hanging baskets, as border plants, in window boxes, patio tubs, or in mass plantings, in sun or shade? It may Surprise you to know that FI hybrid begonia semper-florens will perform well in all these •situations. Plant breeders have created new hybrids with larger flowers. more compact branching habit, and the ability to perform in both full sun and shade without the special care and • extra grooming that are necessary with some other bedding plants. Now, a variety has been developed especially for hanging baskets by Pan- American Seed Company. 'Pink Avalanche' is really a- new species, an inter - specific cross. Its one -inch flowers are a soft pink, produced on plants with a spectacular, pendulous habit, making it a winner for hanging baskets. A landslide . of color all season long, it features unique angel -wing - shaped foliage. 'Pink Avalanche' does not produce seed, but keeps trying anyway, blooming profusely in its effort to reproduce itself. 'Gladiator' 'is another FI hybrid from Pan-American Seed Company for this• year's gardeners. More glamorous than the 'Clamours,' 'Gladiator' produces brilliant red blooms, 2 to 3 inches across, on 8- to 10 -inch plants. Plants have a compact, base - branching habit. The leaves are smaller than those of the 'Glamours,' making the blooms seem even larger. 'Gladiator' has been recognized as a novelty by Fleuroselect, Europe's equivalent to our ��All- America Selections. 'Frilly Red' from Ball Seed Company, has huge, bright red blooms, 3/4 to 1 inch wide and about 2 inches deep. enhanced by ruffled edges, and (Arse! by the dark green foliage. The ruffled edges make 'Frilly Red' especially attractive for u.se'in pots and window boxes. Effective in borders and for mass plantings, too. 'Frilly Pink,' introduced last year, has the same ruffled flowers and plant habit as 'Frilly Red.' Don't dismiss begonias as unworthy of your attention. main group is the Elfin series that are Fl, a hybrid series developed several years ago. They are available in a wide color range (white, red, rose, pink, and salmon). A plant breeder from Costa Rica, Claude Hope, one of the main developers of the Elfin series, has now developed the `"Super Elfins". I saw these breeding trials about eight years ago, and now they are available for the buying public. Generally, they are superior to the other' Elfins because of larger flowers, more flowers • and continuous flowering throughout the . growing season. Overall height is 20 to 25 centimetres 08.to 10 inches) and they tend to stay t dwarf because of their basal bran- ching habit. To give you •an idea of the increasing importance 'pf impatiens, a new variety called "Blitz" . is the first impatiens to win an All- American Selection. It will be available this spring. Its orapge-scarlet,large blooms contrast effectively s.with bronzy -green foliage. • To get the most from im- patiens and other annuals, proper fertilizing is important. Annuals by nature want to -growand. flower. -all .summer -. long so they have a fairly constant demand for nutrition. Use a water-soluble plant food, such as 20-20-20 at a rate of 15 millilitres per 4.5 litres (1 tablespoon per gallon) of water' as a general feed. Frequency depends on tem- perature, rainfall and sunshine but generally every 2 weeks is adequate. Not all impatiens are shade lovers. However, there is a family called the New Guinea impatiens that thrivesin full' sun-. These have a unique bicolor foliage that is, quite striking, that can provide a nice contrast with sunny an- nuals in your garden. ' Super Elfin impatiens Enhance your property value A study conducted throughout North American in 1979 asked the question "Why do you landscape your home?" The number one answer was, "To enhance property value." People who gave that repay knew What they were talking about because it is a well established principle in the real estate industry that a landscaped home will sell more quickly and will fetch up to five percent more than a similar property which is not landscaped. One of the best advantages of landscape planting is that the Qlant material will continue to grow. and as it grows, contributes an increased value to the entire property. Improving the value of the family home is particularly important in Canada because it is the last major capital gain that isnottaxed. To ensure that your plant material continues to enhance your property value. 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