Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Impatiens bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called busy lizzie, patience plant (Impatiens walleriana).

About Impatiens

Impatiens walleriana · also called busy lizzie, patience plant · flowering

Impatiens are tender perennials grown as annuals for masses of flat pastel flowers in shade. New Guinea types are more sun-tolerant. Downy mildew has hit some areas; choose resistant cultivars. Pet-safe.

Impatiens walleriana (busy Lizzy) is a tender East African species grown as a shade annual (perennial only in USDA 10–11), uniquely able to produce bright color in deep shade where few flowers perform.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flowers: Too much shade or over-feeding with nitrogen.

Sources: ipm.missouri.edu, extension.umd.edu, umass.edu

The reasons impatiens isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming impatiens traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding impatiens a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get impatiens to flower

Maximise sun. Give impatiens the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for impatiens and get the feeding right with the impatiens fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Impatiens flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full impatiens care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Impatiens blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my impatiens flower?

Impatiens blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make impatiens bloom?

Give impatiens the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does impatiens normally bloom?