Imagine: A perennial for shade that isn’t a hosta or a fern! Can you imagine? After growing this hardy impatiens, we can say that it isn’t necessary to be big and bold, and we’re in love…
Name: Impatiens omeiana aka hardy impatiens
Type of Plant: A perennial in zone 6 that slowly spreads to form a nice, attractive group of foliage.
Why I Love this plant: Yes, it flowers with yellow blooms in late summer into fall, but the foliage alone is worth planting this Impatiens for. A bright spot for shady gardens.
A Word to the Wise: Grow this plant in well drained but fertile soil in part to full shade.
This perennial slowly spreads to form a sizable clump. Although it’s not quite weed-smothering, it does grow fairly robustly where it’s happy.
The combination of a bit of red in the stem, and the creamy white of the veins and ribs, make these leaves look lovely.
If you have a shade garden in zone 6 and above, you need Impatiens omeiana. Good “socks and shoes” for those large hostas…
Hi C.L., Where could I find this hardy impatiens?
I see that Digging Dog Nursery online has it right now. I bought mine from AvantGardensne.com, but I don’t see it listed there right now.
We are at in Zone 5, in Augusta, Maine and have had this plant for 3 years. No soecil treatment, it is the in our Hosta garden and it gets no Winter protection.