Garden Balsam Care
Impatiens balsamina
An old-fashioned annual shade plant that flowers along the stem (not to be confused with the dye-yielding henna tree, Lawsonia inermis). It likes partial shade and constantly moist soils; its ripe seed pods burst when touched and scatter the seeds around.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- General care: It is out of season.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
- General care: It is out of season.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
- General care: Prepare the soil in shaded planting areas and enrich it with compost or well-rotted fertilizer.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water 1-2 times a week.
- Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
- Pruning: To make them bushier, pinch the tips of saplings (pinching).
- General care: Once the risk of last frost has passed, sow seeds or plant seedlings.
- Watering: Water 2-3 times a week. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface.
- Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- Plant protection: Check for aphids and whiteflies.
- General care: Spread a 5-7 cm layer of mulch over the root zone; it retains soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not pile mulch against the trunk.
- Watering: Water deeply 3-4 times a week, early in the morning. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface. Frequent shallow watering pulls the roots to the surface.
- Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- General care: Flowering begins.
- Watering: Water deeply 3-4 times a week, early in the morning. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface. Frequent shallow watering pulls the roots to the surface.
- Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- Plant protection: In hot and dry weather, check for spider mites.
- General care: Keep it in a position sheltered from midday sun; scorching at the leaf edges is a sign of burn.
- Pests & diseases: Check for spider mites.
- Watering: Water deeply 3-4 times a week, early in the morning. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface. Frequent shallow watering pulls the roots to the surface.
- Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- Plant protection: Continue checking for spider mites.
- Watering: Water 2-3 times a week. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface.
- Fertilizing: Make this month's feeding the last of the season; afterward, the plant needs to prepare for winter.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- General care: If you want to collect seed for next year, harvest the capsules once they begin to turn yellow.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water 1-2 times a week.
- General care: Flowering declines and the plant gradually completes its life cycle.
- Pests & diseases: Powdery mildew may appear.
- Watering: If needed, very little.
- General care: With the first cold, the plant deteriorates. It should be pulled up and cleaned away at the end of the season.
- Pests & diseases: Do not put diseased plant residues in the compost.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
- General care: It is out of season.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.
Browse all plant guides