We Miss You, Walleriana!

My mother gifted my wife with hanging baskets filled with New Guinea impatiens for Mother's day this year. I walked the porch this evening at dusk and captured the best bloom to blip. The New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) was discovered on a plant hunting expedition to Southeast Asia in the late 1800's. The growing habits of impatiens make them ideal low-maintenance plants.

Impatiens Walleriana are dying from a worldwide epidemic of Impatiens Downy Mold. Mom planted more than a dozen (more like 20 )FLATS of impatiens around her home for years. This year, you can't find the embattled plant.

The popular shade-loving annual flower variety was infected with the fungus-like pathogen last year and it is still prevalent this year. Only the garden impatiens walleriana plants are affected by the fungus, according to the Michigan State University Department of Horticulture.

The downy mildew can overwinter in the soil, so landscapers and gardeners are advised not to replant in the same area, or to pick other varieties that are resistant, such as the New Guinea Impatiens, which have larger flowers and leaves.
Hang in there, walleriana! We're rooting for your return! (Pun intended.)