Impatiens balsamina, on its common name Garden Balsam, Rose Balsam, Touch-me-not, Impatiens or Spotted snap-weed, is a species of Impatiens, an annual plant with a fast growing rate, that can reach 20-75 cm tall, with a thick, but soft stem. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant because of its attractive, showy flowers, used for mass planting, in borders, in containers or in above-ground planters or you can grow it as an indoor plant if you live in an area where is too cold to be grown outdoor.
The leaves are narrow lance-shaped, pale green, spirally arranged, with a deeply toothed margin. Its flowers are cup-shaped, semi-double or fully double, looking like camellia blossoms, produced in the leaf axils of plants. The flowers color can be red, pink, purple, cream or white and are pollinated by bees and other insects, and also by nectar-feeding birds. The flowers are followed by explosive seed capsules.
Balsam is a colorful annual, easy to grow, as it requires no special treatment that thrives in a place with partial shade or full sun, but sheltered from wind. It will grow in any reasonably good soil, but also grows well in heavy clay soils. It prefers a moist well-drained humus rich soil in a cool site. To offer some help you can work a little compost into the flower bed before planting. Keep soil moist after planting as Balsam thrives on plenty of water, so never allow it to dry out. Fertilize every four to eight weeks, if desired, for best overall health and height. Pull plants out of the garden after the first frost.
You can propagate Balsam by sowing seeds in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Balsams develop good root systems and transplant well, but may wilt for a day or two after transplanting. Even large plants can be successfully moved if they are watered frequently after being relocated. In warmer areas seeds can be sown directly into the garden after all risks of frost have passed. Germination takes 8 to 14 days at 21 Celsius degrees (70 F).
