Homes: Impatiens make good neighbors

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Impatiens make good neighbors

William Brandsen has impatiens wherever he goes: They beautify his Canada home each summer and each fall transform his mobile home park in St. Petersburg to a garden spot.

By Times Staff Writer

How Does Your Garden Grow? is an occasional feature that highlights unusual passions of bay area gardeners. The projects can include flowers, vegetables, shrubs and landscapes. Do you have a special garden success you'd like to share? Send us a brief description and photograph for consideration, along with your phone number and address. If chosen, we will tell your garden story.

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William Brandsen's neighborhood is about to undergo a change, one that will leave the Vagabond Mobile Home Park in St. Petersburg a lot less colorful. That's because Brandsen will remove more than 200 impatiens from his home when he and his wife, Ira, return to Burlington, Ontario, next month.

Brandsen, 74, is a retired greenhouse owner who is so fond of impatiens that for eight years he has been planting them at his homes here and in Canada.

"I have more than 200 impatiens at my home in Canada. We live in the country on an acre of land, and the plants are in front and behind the house," Brandsen said. "The only difference in growing impatiens here and in Canada is that they grow faster here."

Impatiens are eager to get growing, and these annuals are ideal for indoors or outdoors. The genus impatiens includes more than 800 species in a glowing assortment of colors.

If you're not sure what to add to your garden this spring or summer, you still have time to decide. In the meantime, here's what Brandsen thinks of impatiens:

Why did you choose impatiens?

They are my favorite plant. They are easy to grow, and they bloom from the beginning. People like to see flowers this time of year, and there are so many beautiful places here, but I don't see too many small mobile home parks with flowers. This mobile home park is very small; you can see what you can do with a small home.

How soon do you get started planting?

We arrived the first week in November. We see what the best plants are, and we get them soon after we arrive. This year we spent $8.97 apiece for 12 flats with 18 in each. We bought them all at once. You don't have to plant them right away; you can wait three or four days.

I have a routine, so it's easy to do. Once I get the (irrigation) tubing ready, within four days they are in.

Describe your impatien setup.

Some are in planters on the ground, and the others are on four shelves. This creates a wall of flowers. I made a special tubing system that helps with irrigation, and I use the Melnor Time-A-Matic timer. You must water them regularly. Impatiens need much more water than other plants. You do not need a special watering system or timer for impatiens; watering by hand with a hose works just fine.

Did you have any damage during the cold snap?

We had no damage. You cover them up, but never use plastic covering. Use other material, but no plastic, and no material that does not breath.

What growing tips can you share?

Soil is the No. 1 priority. You need a grow mix soil. I use Jungle Growth Professional Growers mix. The water has to move freely through the soil, so it's important to buy quality soil. The grow mix should be wet before putting in plants. The water should run out the bottom of the container.

The second tip is slow-release fertilizer. I use Dynamite 13-13-13, which is a six-month time-release flower and vegetable fertilizer. You put the impatiens right on top of the fertilizer.

Next, you should have quality impatiens. The varieties available now are more sun resistant. Years ago you could not put them in full sun, but now they can stand the sun very well. They do great. I have some that are in full sun all day. Some people say they do better in shade, and that is true, but they don't mind the sun, either.

What do your neighbors think of your impatiens?

Before we leave, they always ask us not to pull them up. They ask us to leave them, but we can't. They have done five months of hard work, and there is only so much life in them. So we cut them off at the bottom and put the flowers in garbage bags.

The neighbors can hardly wait for us to come back in November. When we come back, they say, "Good, you're back again. Now the neighborhood will look different."

- If you have a submission, write to: How Does Your Garden Grow?, P.O. Box 1121, c/o Garden Section, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. You must include a brief description of your project, your name, address and daytime phone number. If your garden is selected, a reporter will contact you. If you provide photographs, you must also enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.