Busy Lizzie

Busy Lizzie: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, rounded plant 20–30 cm tall and as wide.

Stem

Succulent, almost translucent and brittle; in dry spells the plant soon collapses.

Leaves

Oval, finely toothed and glossy; usually fresh green, bronze in some varieties.

Flower

Flat, 3–5 cm across, with five petals and a thin spur at the back; single or double.

Colour

White, pink, salmon, orange, red, lilac and purple, also with a star or eye pattern.

Fruit

Small green seed pods that burst when touched and fling out their seeds.

Flowering: May–October · Sowing: February–March · Plants: May–June · Pruning: April and July

Why grow it?

• Flowers from May into October in partial and full shade, where few other summer flowers bloom so freely.
• Spent flowers drop off by themselves: no deadheading needed.
• Compact and rounded: ideal for edging, containers, pots and hanging baskets.
• Very easy from cuttings, even in a glass of water, so you can keep a favourite colour.
• Children love the seed pods, which burst open at the slightest touch.

Busy Lizzie: where does it grow best?

• Partial or full shade is ideal; morning sun is fine, hot midday sun is not.
• Humus-rich soil that holds moisture: sand, loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• The soil must never dry out; a damp spot is fine as long as water does not stand.
• Sheltered from strong wind, as the succulent stems snap easily.
• Allow 20–25 cm between plants in a bed; a little closer in containers.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: plant out after the last frost (mid-May)

Goes well with

• Tuberous begonia: Large flowers in the same shady container or border.
• Fuchsia: Hanging bell flowers above, also happy out of the midday sun.
• Ferns: Fresh green foliage that makes the flower colours glow.
• Hosta: Large leaves as a calm backdrop in partial shade.
• Heuchera: Red, orange or silver foliage beside the flowers.

Busy Lizzie: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Plant out after mid-May, once nights no longer drop below 10 °C.
2. Harden off home-grown or bought plants for a week first: outside by day, inside at night.
3. Loosen the soil and mix in compost or leaf mould; in containers use fresh potting compost.
4. Set the plants at the same depth as in their pots, 20–25 cm apart, and firm gently.
5. Water in well straight away, even if the soil already seems moist.
6. A thin layer of leaf mould around the plants keeps the soil cool and moist.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil moist at all times. Water in the morning at the base, not over the leaves. Check hanging baskets daily in summer.

Feeding

From June to mid-September a liquid flowering-plant feed every two weeks, especially in containers and baskets.

Deadheading

Not needed: spent flowers fall off and the plant keeps blooming.

Pinching

In April pinch out the tips of young plants; they branch and become bushier.

Spacing

Do not plant too closely, so the leaves dry quickly after rain. This helps against disease.

Tip: Water in the morning at the base, not over the leaves: the foliage stays dry and downy mildew has less chance.

Busy Lizzie: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April and July.

When: Real pruning is not needed. Pinch young plants in April, and in July you can shorten long, floppy stems.

How:

• Pinch out the tips of young plants with your fingers, just above a leaf.
• If a plant becomes tall and open in July, cut the longest stems back by a third.
• Then water and feed: within a few weeks it will be flowering freely again.
• Use the trimmed tips as cuttings.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

From June to August: cut a non-flowering shoot tip of 8–10 cm, remove the lower leaves and stand it in a glass of water or in moist cutting compost. It roots within a few weeks.

Seed

Sow indoors in February–March at 20–22 °C. Scatter the seed on moist seed compost and do not cover it, as it needs light to germinate. Keep moist under glass or plastic.

Busy Lizzie: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it suffers below 5 °C and the first frost kills it.
• Treat it as an annual and clear the plants after the first cold nights.
• To keep a colour, take cuttings in August and grow them on as houseplants on a bright windowsill.

Diseases and pests

• Downy mildew: Leaves yellow and curl, white fuzz appears underneath, then leaves and flowers drop and the plant collapses. Remove affected plants roots and all, not on the compost heap, and do not plant busy Lizzies in that spot for the next few years. Choose resistant varieties or New Guinea impatiens.
• Drooping plant: A sign of drought or too much sun. Water at once and move pots out of the midday sun.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds. Blast them off with water or let ladybirds do the job.
• Slugs: They strip young plants, especially after rain. Pick them off in the evening and protect young plants for the first weeks.

Through the year

• February: Sow indoors at 20–22 °C, leaving the seed uncovered.
• March: Keep sowing. Prick out seedlings into small pots.
• April: Pinch out young plants. Keep them in good light, not too warm.
• May: After mid-May, harden off and plant out in partial or full shade.
• June: Flowering starts. Water and feed every two weeks.
• July: Shorten long stems. Watch out for downy mildew.
• August: Take cuttings to overwinter. Water in dry spells.
• September: Full bloom. Feed until mid-September.
• October: Last flowers. Clear the plants after the first cold nights.

Did you know?

• Impatiens means ‘impatient’: ripe seed pods burst open at the slightest touch and fling out their seeds.
• The species name honours Horace Waller, a 19th-century English missionary who travelled in East Africa.
• New Guinea impatiens is a different species, with larger leaves and flowers, and is far less prone to downy mildew.