Impatiens are a popular flowering annual that provide vivid color in shady beds and borders during the summer. While technically considered an annual, there are some techniques gardeners in frost-prone areas can use to successfully overwinter impatiens from one year to the next. With proper care during the winter months, it’s possible to save impatiens and enjoy their cheery blooms again the following spring.
Why Overwinter Impatiens?
Overwintering impatiens offers several advantages compared to purchasing new plants each spring:
- Save money instead of buying new plants and seeds every year
- Maintain favorite heirloom varieties that may be hard to find at nurseries
- Get a jumpstart on growth and flowering earlier in the spring season
- Reduce the risk of introducing diseases by planting the same plants rather than new ones
- Enjoy larger and bushier plants in their second year of growth
- Add interest to indoor plant displays over the winter months
Criteria for Overwintering Success
Several factors determine whether impatiens can be successfully overwintered in your area:
- Climate – Typically only works in zones 8-11 where winters stay above freezing. Providing artificial heat allows overwintering in zones 2-7.
- Varieties – Standard impatiens rarely survive winter. Look for perpetual or Reiger impatiens.
- Preparation – Plants must be moved indoors before frost and pruned back by one-third to one-half.
- Cultural conditions – Overwintered plants require bright, indirect light, warm temperatures of 60-70°F, and high humidity.
Steps for Overwintering Impatiens
Follow these tips to increase your chances of successfully overwintering impatiens
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Select Appropriate Varieties – Choose cold-hardy varieties suited for overwintering such as Evergreen impatiens hybrids like Harmony, Accent, and Victory series, Perpetual blooming varieties like Florific, Fiesta, and Celebrette, and SunPatiens impatiens which are vigorous and immune to downy mildew.
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Prune Back Foliage – In early fall after the first light frost, prune back impatiens foliage by one-third to one-half. This redirects energy to the roots for winter survival. Make cuts just above leaf joints using clean, sterilized pruners. Remove any spent flowers or yellow, dead leaves.
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Dig Up Root Balls – Carefully dig up the entire impatiens plant including the root system. Knock off any excess soil clinging to the roots. Trim away any dead or damaged roots.
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Allow Tubers to Dry – Place the freshly dug up roots and tubers in a dry, airy spot out of direct sun for 1-2 days. Allowing them to cure reduces the risk of rot developing during winter storage.
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Disinfect Storage Containers – Before storing impatiens for the winter, thoroughly clean any pots, trays, or other containers to be used with a diluted bleach solution. Rinse well and allow to dry.
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Pack Tubers in Storage Media – Place dried tubers in trays or pots filled with damp peat moss, vermiculite, perlite or shredded paper. Completely cover the tubers with the media. Pack them close together but don’t crush or squeeze.
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Move Containers to Cool Location – Store packed impatiens tubers in a cool basement, garage, or climate controlled storage room Ideal conditions are 45-60°F and 50-60% humidity Avoid temperature fluctuations.
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Check Moisture Levels – Check stored tubers every 2-3 weeks during winter. Gently poke your finger into the media to check moisture. Water just enough to keep barely damp taking care not to overwater.
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Monitor for Rotting – Immediately remove any softened or rotting tubers to prevent disease spread. Keep the media fresh and replace if fungal growth is apparent. Expect some loss over winter.
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Transplant in Spring – After the last spring frost, transplant viable tubers back outdoors in rich soil after hardening off. Pinch back any leggy growth and water well as they re-establish. Apply fertilizer once vigorous new growth emerges. Enjoy!
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Fill Gaps with New Plants – Even with the best care, some stored tubers will fail to thrive. Fill any bare spots in your impatiens beds with fresh nursery transplants. Combining new and overwintered plants guarantees the fullest flower beds.
Troubleshooting Overwintered Impatiens Issues
Proper care is required to achieve success overwintering impatiens. Here are some common problems and solutions:
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Rotting tubers – Allow tubers to dry before storage, change media if fungus present, avoid excess moisture.
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Shriveling and death – Store tubers without crushing at proper temperatures and humidity levels.
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No regrowth – Expect only about 50% of tubers to survive. Purchase new plants as needed.
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Regrowth dies – Gradually harden off overwintered plants before placing outside.
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Leggy regrowth – Prune back dead stems, move to full sun, and fertilize transplants.
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Flowers but no leaves – Pinch off blooms to redirect energy into foliage growth. Move to partial shade.
With some extra effort, these colorful flowers can brighten your garden year after year by overwintering impatiens successfully. Pay close attention to proper variety selection, pruning, drying, storage conditions, and transplanting techniques in the spring to save your impatiens season after season.
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You can bring your impatiens in over the winter. Keeping them healthy until the spring is not a sure thing – it will depend upon the light you have inside and to some extent luck. It is worth a try and they may bring you some additional months of beauty even if they dont make it all the way until spring.
Make the initial move gradually, over about a period of a week with increasing time indoors so as not to shock them with very different temperature and light. Before they come in, check carefully for insects and then quarantine the plants away from others for two weeks.
Inside they will need very bright but not direct sunlight. The amount of light will control whether they continue to bloom or not and the extent to which the plants will become leggy. (If you are growing Impatiens repens, a creeping impatiens, it needs more direct light.) Keep the plants at normal household temperatures and mist spray them daily or keep them on wet pebble trays for humidity. Water moderately, letting the surface of the soil dry before watering again and never leaving the plants to sit in run-off water which can lead to fungal root rot. Feed every two weeks as long as they are continuing to grow.
If the light level is too low, they may enter dormancy with no new growth. If that occurs, reduce watering further until the plant resumes growth.
Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service
❄️How to overwinter impatiens ❄️
FAQ
How do you get impatiens back every year?
A: Impatiens do indeed come back from their own seed each year. You’ll realize with experience that the seedlings don’t begin blooming until late May, which is why most folks plant blooming, nursery-grown impatiens plants in April.
Do you cut back impatiens in winter?
Do impatiens reseed themselves?
Yes, Impatiens readily self-seed, meaning they can readily drop their seeds and grow new plants the following year.
Can Impatiens overwinter?
In this post, we will tackle well-researched answers about the process of overwintering your Impatiens plants. To keep your impatiens plants alive over the winter, maintain the temperature at 55°F. This temperature can keep your impatiens flowering during this season. Otherwise, they’ll be fine if it’s warmer than 45°F.
How do you keep impatiens in the winter?
A: There are three ways to keep your impatiens. You can simply dig a clump of the plants and keep them in an indoor pot for the winter. You’ll need to grow them in plenty of light to keep them healthy. Another option is to take 6 inch long stem cuttings and root them in water.
Can Impatiens grow in winter?
With the right care, your indoor Impatiens can flourish even in winter. As you prepare for the colder months, remember that proper protection and care will set your Impatiens up for success. Next, we’ll explore how to adjust watering and fertilizing schedules to keep your plants healthy during dormancy.
How to care for indoor Impatiens?
If you spot any pests, consider treatment options such as insecticidal soap or neem oil, which are effective yet gentle on your plants. Humidity plays a crucial role in the health of indoor Impatiens. Ideally, you want to maintain humidity levels between 40-60% to keep your plants thriving.
How do I prepare my Impatiens for overwintering?
To prepare your impatiens for overwintering, begin by cutting them back to 6-8 inches tall. This will help to protect the plants from frost damage while they are in the ground. It is also important to make sure that the soil around the impatiens is well-draining, as this will help to keep the plants from becoming waterlogged.
Do I need to trim Impatiens before overwintering?
The answer is yes, it is necessary to trim impatiens before overwintering. Trimming helps to keep the plant healthy and strong throughout the winter. It also helps to reduce the amount of moisture that can lead to fungal diseases, which can be lethal to the plant.