Every year for the last several years,
hundreds of impatiens seedlings have sprung up
in the pots and planters on my deck.
There have been so many, I had never been able to plant them all,
and I grew a big cavalier about tossing the ones I couldn't plant aside.
morguefile.com
And then last spring and summer, while the rest of the country
was enduring a record-breaking drought, we here in the Shire
were inundated with rain.
And all of my impatiens rotted.
And this spring, instead of thousands of tiny green seedlings,
there were exactly two that looked similar to these:
So for the first time in years, I bought about four flats of impatiens
and replanted. So far they are coming along nicely,
even though they weren't planted until early June,
given another cool, wet spring.
Here are some photos that show why I love them so much.
Pinks and whites and happy little faces:
Their ability to mound neatly,
which makes those of us who plant them look more talented than we really are:
The bright colors contrast well with the deep green of the garden.
I especially like the deep orange ones:
Impatiens were originally called sultanas in honor of the Sultan of Zanzibar
(Source: gardenguides.com),
but these unique and beautiful flowers are the ones that deserve the honors.
I wouldn't want a summer without them.
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