On Sun, 7 Aug 2011 10:40:29 +0000 (UTC), Kate
wrote:

Jake:
Having spent much of yesterday digging up all my impatiens, which have
succumbed to that fungus this year, and then buying up any remaining
decent bedding in the local garden centre to fill the more visible gaps,
it was heartening to read in Amateur Gardening today a prediction that
impatiens "could die out" within five years. Seems that T&M are
researching alternatives "in case".

I've got something in my head that I've read somewhere that other plants
are also possibly susceptible to this "downy mildew" fungus and
shouldn't be planted where impatiens have been affected. But I can't
remember where I read this and what plants were mentioned. Does this
ring a bell with anyone else?

Hi Jake

Could you describe what the fungus looks like?

I've got some impatiens, most of the flowers have gone (usually they last
till 1st frost), the few that are left the pink looks washed out with
white patches. The stems and leaves maybe look a bit yellow/brown but
mostly very light green.

Is this what you're seeing? Do I need to dig up everything & burn? To me
it looks more tattey than disaesed at the min - my natural reaction is to
leave them and see if more flowers come later.

Thanks!

Kate xxx

Hi Kate

Have a look at

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?pid=205

for their description rather than mine which would be "it looks like
the plants have been attacked heavily by slugs". If it is the fungus
then early action is needed to prevent spread and maybe you shouldn't
grow impatiens next year.

The fungus is supposedly most likely to hit if you plant impatiens in
the same place each year (so you need to "crop rotate" flowers as well
as veg). But in my case, the "same place" argument doesn't apply and a
certain logic suggests it was "introduced" via a particular batch of
plants but it's too early to say anything definite. I have sent some
observations to the supplier and await their response.

Cheers
Jake
==============================================
Gardening at the dry end (east) of Swansea Bay
in between reading anything by JRR Tolkien.

www.rivendell.org.uk