Sunpatiens

Hey everyone , I got some Sunpatiens last year and the show of constant flowers were just amazing for months, it was the first time I’d ever bought some. Can someone please tell me when these will be available in garden centres as I can’t remember when I purchased them, I think it was May.

 

Hi

towards the middle of April , if you have a greenhouse to either pot and grow on , as any late frost will set them back or kill them . No greenhouse May is the best time to get them

Spruce

 

Thank you so much for your response @Spruce
i was beginning to wonder if anyone was out there and could see my post. I don’t come here that often so not entirely sure how to post etc.

 

Brookside nursery has a great selection of sunpatiens.

 

Oh really I’ll take a look thank you @salar

 

They are very easy to take cuttings from and will be happy indoors on a shady windowsill all winter, even flowering quite freely.

 

I didn

I didn’t know you can take cuttings where do you do this on the plant please?

 

In the autumn, take a cutting about 3" long with a small leaf or two at the top and cut just below the next leaf joint down, so you keep a knobbly bit at the bottom, which the new roots will grow from. Pop it into some multi-purpose compost, with almost all the stem underground and the leaves just above the compost surface. Adding a layer of grit keeps the leaves from lying on the damp compost. Place a little see through dome over it, to keep moisture in. I cut up empty one litre water bottles to make these. Remove the dome as soon as you see some growth. They root really quickly. Keep them out of direct sun but with good light, preferable not too near a radiator.

The advantage of growing your own is you get earlier flowering and the roots aren't stuck in those little blocks the GC's start them off in.

 

I’ll definitely give that a go for sure, thank you so much for replying and being so informative, I’ve never done anything like that before so I’ll accept the challenge, makes sense to make plants from your plants doesn’t it, it’s just knowing how

Thanks again

 

You're welcome. It's a good plant to have a go with as the success rate is high. Maybe 80% of cuttings will take and grow on happily.