<p>Blue lobelia = awesome.</p>
<p>Is blue lobelia okay for shade?
I didn’t know this about impatiens. Wow. That’s a tragedy as I have total shade and it’s hard to get much color going en masse without them.</p>
<p>Yes, I got the word and was not happy either. I had a great source for inexpensive impatiens, ane they were perfect to give large plots of great color in my yard at the right price and they grow like crazy for me with minimal care. The petunias are a pathetic substitute so far, but that’s what my budget allowed.</p>
<p>I would like to have a consultation with P. Allen Smith. I love him.</p>
<p>zooser - did your mom have any problems with them dying last year? If she did, they you clearly should not replant impatiens, as they 100% guaranteed to wilt & die. If not, you can roll the dice and see how they fare, which is what I’m doing, and/or plant them in containers w new potting soil. I would recommend talking to neighbors to see if any had the problem (supposedly the mold spores can travel by air) and visiting the local garden center. </p>
<p>Also look at the Sunpatiens. They looked great and supposedly get HUGE and fill up the space of 3-4 traditional impatiens. </p>
<p>Good gardening to all! I’m waiting for the forecasted rain to come tomorrow and wash away this pollen before I plant anything.</p>
<p>I saw this on a bumper sticker and thought it was kind of funny. Actually, I use impatiens to fill in the holes in my shady beds. Lobelia is lovely, but it never gets anywhere near the size of impatiens for me. (I like to use the trailing varieties in containers.) Maybe I can use this as an excuse to buy more perennials. (Like I need one.)</p>
<p>Ive taken a perennial class, but we didnt touch much on the more common plants, cause so many out there, you cant really do it in one class.
I havent noticed impatiens sold for a while, I expect that because of our wet climate it is more prone to mildew.</p>
<p>The big box stores often stock a butt load of petunias which I abhore, although I like violets for shade and I have labrador violets as a ground cover as well as native violets or ones that are similar- either such a dark purple it looks black or a blue purple.
( blue/ purple are my favorite colors for flowers so I try and stick with that color in all my beds- right now the brunnera are in bloom. I think the genus has better flowers than the varigated, I try to use variegation judiciously.)</p>
<p>Watch out when something says “it spreads”. :eek:
That might be the signal to try it in pots.
I love pots cause they are easy to change around and have more control over the growing medium.
Also in our climate many things get a little carried away.
I used to plant lobelia but I rarely do annuals anymore except for herbs.
However if you dont want to deal with a perennial becoming invasive, annuals are a good way to have fill in color.</p>
<p>This garden is local and has a lot of detail about what grows good where.
[Index</a> to Paghat’s Garden: Shade Perennials](<a href=“http://www.paghat.com/garden1.html]Index”>Index to Paghat's Garden: Shade Perennials)
More on perennials.
[Northwest</a> Perennial Alliance - NPA, Northwest gardening, perennials, free garden tours, plant sales, lectures and classes](<a href=“http://www.northwestperennialalliance.org/index.php]Northwest”>http://www.northwestperennialalliance.org/index.php)</p>
<p>Fr spring color at about 1’-2’ height in shade, I plant evergreen azaleas.
& ferns. Maidenhair are especially pretty.</p>
<p>Vinca is invasive, but in a hanging basket it would have to be better behaved.
[Vinca</a> thrive in hanging baskets](<a href=“myhangingbaskets.com - This website is for sale! - myhangingbaskets Resources and Information.”>myhangingbaskets.com - This website is for sale! - myhangingbaskets Resources and Information.)</p>
<p>“Friends don’t let friends buy annuals.”</p>
<p>The only annuals I buy anymore are for my window boxes and i always use the same combo - begonias, vinca and a spike. I stopped planting my own pots a few years ago and now just pick up several already made up.</p>
<p>I love annuals and plant lots of them. Right now I have 12 flats waiting to be planted 
I’ve been to 2 nurseries and there’s not shortage of impatiens here. I do like them in shady spots. Dang, something else to worry about. </p>
<p>The article mentioned the mold was found in midwest states too and caused by cold and damp. Seeing as we had record heat and drought last year, not sure how it took off in the midwest.</p>
<p>My local center recommended Torenia as an alternative to impatiens so I bought a flat. We shall see.</p>
<p>I too will miss the color provided by impatiens in my partially shaded beds and containers. I will be using a variety of perennials (hostas, ferns, coral bells) in my beds, as my impatiens truly succumbed to the fungus last year. Haven’t decided what replacements to use in my containers yet. Not the same effect in size or color, but I’m thinking about different varieties of coleus to provide some color along with begonias.</p>
<p>I too just used the inpatiens to fill in some spots and for a couple shade pots. I have mostly perennials in the ground. But I do also have window boxes and pots ( I go a little crazy but also have a lot of yard / outside area to “decorate”. The lobelia is great in pots/window boxes.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Me, too but I just saw a variegated sedum, sedum kamchachuan(?), very pretty. Bought a few and put in my newly created corner bed. The only variegated plant in my yard.</p>
<p>H and I are in a bit of a mourning mode at the thought of a summer without the colorful salmon impatiens that have graced the front walk for years … and without the two beautiful hanging baskets of impatiens (may annual Mother’s Day gift) that always brighten our front porch. Our shady midwest front yard will look so sad. :(</p>
<p>It was a relief to me when I found out at the Philadelphia Flower Show that there was a blight on impatiens last year and it wasn’t anything I had done wrong. I look forward to planting my impatiens each year because they yield so much beautiful bang for the buck. This week, I’ve planted begonias in my borders instead and filled my pots with Torenia which typically does nicely in my shady yard. But it won’t be the same. Sniff.</p>
<p>Torenia - thanks for giving a name to a plant I’ve always like in hanging baskets! </p>
<p>Bought a nice mix of pink/red/purple at Lowes last week for $12. I typically hang a geranium one in this sunny locations, but wanted to try something new and this is adding a nice punch of color.</p>
<p>I had to look “torenia” up too - $12 for a basket is CHEAP!</p>
<p>Looking around at my local Ace hardware yesterday, I noticed that flats of bedding plants have gone way up in price! Last year I had planted some begonias and a few other plants that were supposed to come back and I think they all bit the dust over the winter unfortunately.</p>