Blighted Impatiens, Dead Wheelbarrows, and Partridge Peas
So here is a bit of garden miscellany for today. Those of you who grumble that I never show the seamy underside of my garden should appreciate this post.
First off, I have been blithely ignoring the Heartbreak of Impatiens Blight ever since news of this scourge spread to these parts. And for years, everything was fine. I thought the Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) and I could lead a charmed life, safe from the devastation around us.
Oh, what fools we were. In any case, the blight found us, as I knew it would eventually. For the foreseeable future, it’s no more Impatiens (or Busy Lizzies, if you prefer) for me.
Plants that I have found to be acceptable substitutes include Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Annual Lobelia (Lobelia erinus), New Guinea Impatiens (I. hawkeri), Bacopa (Sutera cordata), and Parsley (Petroselinum crispum).
Another sad development is the recent demise of our wheelbarrow planter. This is a rusted out wheelbarrow inherited from the last owners of the house. I’ve been using it as a planter for years and years. Finally, though, I recognized that there were too many holes eaten through the bottom. It was bound to happen eventually.
Now we have to think about what to get as a replacement (or if there should be any replacement at all). I like the idea of looking at yard sales for a little red wagon like my kids used to have. A bit shallow for a planter, perhaps, but maybe not. Judy’s been thinking of an urn of some kind, but that seems too formal for our garden.
Finally, on a more positive note, I’m glad to say that at least a few of the Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) seeds that I planted last fall have germinated and are now flowering. Partridge Pea is a native self-sowing annual. They’re also a host plant for a number of Sulphur Butterfly species.
I suspect that the Partridge Peas are going to need some help if they are to make a place for themselves in the Parkway Bed where they have been sown. They share the beds with a number of very aggressive neighbors, including several Viola and Rudbeckia species. Most likely I will have to keep sowing them every fall and also remove some of the larger competing plants.
That’s all for now.
gardeninacity 
Sorry that Impatiens Blight finally found your garden and will miss your wheelbarrow planter. The optimistic among us would think of these as opportunities for change. I’m surprised that Judy isn’t thinking that the wheelbarrow space might be a perfect spot for a chicken coop.
I’m only into symbolic chickens, not live ones. Live ones require work!
The impatiens blight found me two seasons ago but then I discovered begonias and haven’t looked back. Sorry about the wheelbarrow. I found an old wagon at an auction a long time and, of course, packed it full of plants but I have a feeling it’s day is coming as well. I’m thinking about replacing it with an old metal trough that’s been sitting in our field.
I won’t let him plant begonias. Not sure of the origin of my prejudice, but there it is. Maybe it’s because too many of them are pink.
My area has a dark red variety that I really like and also a white variety. Since those are the colors of our college (university of Arkansas–Go Hogs!) it just seems appropriate (it’s a southern thing, I guess 😉)
Metal troughs are harder to find around here. No Farm and Fleet stores.
I would be upset if I lost my impatiens, too. I don’t have them every year, but this year I bought the bright red ones, my favorite. I like your possible substitutes; I never heard of bacopa, but I googled it, and it’s lovely. Maybe it’s in my local plant stores and I don’t know it. If you find a red wagon, instead of planting directly in the wagon, you could use several matching pots of a single annual, pots and flowers in colors that coordinate with the wagon color. As the blonde gardener said, begonias are another possible substitute for you.
That’s a good idea about putting pots in the wagon.
If that is all your blight your garden is blessed. I love the partridge pea. There are fields of it where we do some birding. I have often thought about bringing it into the garden. There are always some kind of interesting bugs on it.
I recently threw out an old garden cart. Never thought of using it as a planter. NOT that I need another thing to take care of, lol.
Oh, my! We had an impatient blight in Maine a couple of years ago. It seems to have passed. We, too, have gone with begonias. While they are not my favorite flower, they do bloom their hearts out and last the whole season without looking leggy and needing to be replaced. For a gardener on a tight budget, this is a blessing indeed.
And you can buy them cheaply by the flat.
I’m so sorry about your impatiens, Jason. I haven’t had a problem yet with mine, fingers crossed, though I know many in our area have. It’s funny you mention the wheelbarrow: this year my husband rescued an old wheelbarrow set out for the trash by my neighbor, knowing I would want to use it as a planter. I filled it with Wave petunias and a few other plants, but the petunias kept dying, while everything else was fine. After replacing the petunias with more petunias about three times, I’ve given up! I have no idea why they didn’t survive, but I’m making a note to use something else next year. I could do a whole post about the failures in my garden:)
That sounds like a great husband, rescuing things from the trash for you! 😉
The imapatiens blight makes me glad that I haven’t planted them for a number of years. So depressing to keep losing trees and plants due to new diseases. I am sure you can find some kind of great new wagon or other solution at a garage sales. They are always full of such treasures.
A garage sale or thrift store is a perfect place to find a wheelbarrow replacement. I agree with you that an urn is too formal for your garden. Sorry about the Impatiens, but my experience with them has always been that they are such water hogs. Above someone suggested Begonias, which I prefer too.
I was hoping for an informal urn. Not sure what that would look like, but I’ll know it when I see it. I’m attracted to those giant heads where plants grow in place of hair. The best would be a giant rooster with plants forming the tail – though I guess that would look a bit odd when there were no plants- which is a lot of months in Chicago. 🙂
Shame about the Impatiens; they’re been a no-go plant in the UK for a while. Mostly due to the bad hygiene in the Dutch nurseries where the vast majority are produced. I have them here in pots on the terrace as they like the shade, so far so good!
I knew of just one place to find partridge peas but then they fizzled out and I haven’t seen any since.
Too bad. I’ve seen them thriving in some midwest gardens.
What a pity to be hit by the Impatiens blight, I’ll have to check and see if it has crossed the seas to Australia. We had a wheelbarrow just like yours for many years, it is surprising how many neighbours still remember it…mostly filled with pansies in the spring.
I also filled it with pansies in the spring, but then I’d switch to summer annuals in June.
I didn’t realize that impatiens could get blight – how unfortunate! It sounds as if you have to be impatien-less for a while – do you know how long? And I’m assuming that using new soil next year won’t help?
I think I’ll have to stay away from the Busy Lizzies for at least three or four years. Fortunately the New Guinea Impatiens and the Impatiens for sun are resistant.
For year after year there was an area under the trees in my back garden that were home to a couple of flats of impatiens. Each year a different colour and they were a staple of that area. Then the blight. So I haven’t had them, or substitutes for about seven years. Sorry to hear the blight has caught up with you.
You haven’t been tempted by Begonias?
Like others, I didn’t know their was an impatiens blight. I grew them last year, but not this year. Bummer for you! My little red wagon came from a Good Will, and I’ve seen them at other thrift stores sold for not much. You could also consider a big wash tub or another used wheelbarrow.
All good ideas.
Shame about your little wheelbarrow… I love unusual containers for plants, but have never found anything suitable for my own garden. Something will turn up when you are not looking for it! (I’ve always fancied an old tin bathtub!)
Oh dear, Jason. I remember a picture a couple of years ago of the wheelbarrow bursting with flowers and it’s sad to see it in this state. Oh well, it’s an opportunity to go hunting for something new and quirky!
Exactly.
Here is the high point in the life of our wheelbarrow – when it was selected to be featured in a blog post by gardenloversclub:
http://blog.gardenloversclub.com/container-gardening/25-wheelbarrow-planter-ideas-for-your-garden/
Our wheelbarrow is about halfway thru the post. Curiously, they seem to believe we painted it black; actually it was just dark rust. RIP, Wheelbarrow!
So that’s it? Not much of a seedy underbelly but the impatients are sort of sad to look at. Love the peas!
It’s good to know that’s it’s not just me who has the occasional gardening disaster.xxx