On 30/11/05 11:58, in article ,
"Dave Poole" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

Just a bit of curiosity - is anyone growing Impatiens niamniamensis outside
all year round, with success?

I've never got around to trying it out, but then in terms of
wow-factor, it is a bit lacking without close inspection. There's a
very, very attractive variegated form, that I've tried to get hold of
for years and which they list at Duchy nurseries, but never seem to
have. Anyone got any influence with them?

Ray knows the past manager - I'll see if he can have a word with him.

I ask because we had someone buy one the
other day, insistent that, as he lives very near the sea in Torquay, he was
going to try it outside and "if it dies it dies".

Well, if he plants it out in winter, it will die. It would need
fairly deep planting to protect dormant buds plus a good autumnal
mulch. Even here will almost certainly want some form of overhead
cover or evergreen shade to minimise the effects of radiational
burning on cold clear nights.

I think we'll have to engineer a meeting one day, David. He's new to
Torquay and is making a new garden. He also picked up a Leonotis leonurus
ad a couple of Pitts the name of which I forget now. It seems he's quite
keen on unusual plants.


My 'New Guinea' Impatiens have just
about struggled through, sited immediately below a canopy of Musella,
but they are teetering on collapse. Niamniamensis is hardier, but its
not in the same league as tinctoria. Nor does it produce the same
huge tubers.

The only place we have I. tinctoria in the garden is outside the cottage and
it comes back every year - so far! We've got the big one in the small double
greenhouse and I think it's the most magical plant. I love those orchid
like flowers and the fabulous scent.

I like its common name
The Congo Cockatoo!

Being a keeper of parrots, I completely fail to see any resemblance to
cockatoos. Since the birds are australasian in origin, white, pink or
grey, pink and white (with the exception of a few black or brown
species) even the colour fails to justify the name. I think it must
be an ill-thought out alliteration by someone who struggled to
enunciate niamniamensis and had never seen a cockatoo.

Probably but it's still a jaunty, cheeky sort of name for the plant!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)