Begonias Are The New Impatiens

Impatiens blight disease toppled a mini garden cartel.

No one's king forever.  Brown is the new black--until it's replaced by navy.  Fifty is the new thirty.

Begonias are the best replacement for Impatiens in 2017

So they say . . .

Begonias are the new impatiens.

In 2013 most retail nurseries chose not to market impatiens for fear of spreading the infestation.

The great impatiens blight of 2013 sparked concern amongst gardeners like no predecessor crisis.  Impatiens, the top annual bedding plant sold in nearly every commercial nursery became plantate non grata in almost every yard due to the insidious disease known as downy mildew.

Infectious impatiens blight produces a powdery mold not detected on fresh blooms.  The blight wiped out droves of these hearty mainstays, then cheekily lingered in the soil through winter only to reinfect the next crop.

The wringing of garden gloves was accompanied by widespread worry that the shade garden, where vibrant impatiens thrived, would never be quite the colorful same.  Well, they were.

Begonias may be more limited in colors, favoring scarlets, reds, pinks and whites, but their sultry leaves make for interesting textural contrast to more familiar shade garden regulars such as hosta, astilbe,  hydrangea and cranesbill

Begonias in bygone times took a backseat to multi-hued impatiens, yet these natives of the southern hemisphere showed their mettle this year.  Granted, the atmospherics were favorable--lots of precipitation and mild temperatures. Begonia thrived filling out nicely, in rounded masses, mindful of perhaps?--impatiens? 

Everyone cheers when the underdog succeeds.

2013 was clearly the year of the begonia!

Bravo!



More articles of interest:

Bye Bye Bizzie Lizzies -- What to Plant Instead of Impatiens

Vintage Gardens -- Spider Plants and Fancy Pants

How to Remove or Treat Poison Ivy

Updated 2018

How to treat poison ivy?

There's no quick cure.  Poison ivy can be frustrating and painful. Warmer winters have caused poison ivy to thrive.

Clearing out overgrown parts of our new garden meant regular contact with these noxious vines.  It only takes a moment to trigger a fortnight of discomfort.

Unfortunately, humans don't develop immunity to poison ivy through repeated exposure--it worsens each time.  After countless episodes with the disease, symptoms escalate.  There's a tipping point where the dermis has had enough.  It's then time to consider treatment, but first identify the source.



Leaves of three, let it be!  Recognition avoids repetition.  Poison ivy grows on a thickening vine.  Its distinctive triple notched leaves protrude on thin branches from a central creeper.  The insidious plant appears everywhere--in cultivated gardens, meadows and along the forest floor.  The vine  has a greenish white or pink glow topped with tiny but piercing thorns.  There are few natural deterrents and chemical treatments are toxic with varying degrees of success.  Heavy gloves and long sleeves help, as does a quick shower, but as Jesse learned, the toxic oil remains in discarded clothing on the way to the washing machine.

You don't have to leave the house--petting Fido after he romps in the garden can transfer pernicious oil, causing skin to erupt.

DON'T SCRATCH!  At least try not too.  It'll make the rash far uglier.

Early detection helps.  The initial bumps seem like mosquito bites--that just won't go away. By the time the true culprit is identified, the outbreak often spreads to secondary regions.

The initial bumps seem like mosquito bites--that just won't go away. By the time the true culprit is identified, the outbreak often spreads to secondary regions.

There's number of home remedies.  As soon as exposure occurs, scrubbing up with an oil-free soap like Fels Naptha or Sunlight may remove urishiol--the irritant oil emitted from the plant.  Urishol oil has the consistency of engine grease, but it's not visible to the human eye.  Scrub all potentially exposed areas with nylon washcloth suds up with Dawn.  Like a mechanic after working under a leaky engine.  Just a few drops of Urishol will cause an outbreak so be thorough. 

For relief, soaking in oatmeal is soothing, but the oil remains in the skin, prolonging the duration of the outbreak. It's also onerous work cleaning the bathtub afterwards.  Dabbing original brand Listerine works on some if the skin has not broken.

Drugstore remedies abound--the most effective is Tecnu which removes the oil , and offers some relief from the itch.   I've tried them all--Ivy Rest, Calamine, Benadryl.  Tecnu and Dawn works best, but be sure to follow directions.  The solution draws the toxic oil from the skin, so it must stay in place for a few minutes, then washed off to remove the contaminant.  Repeat for the best result.

When these techniques fail to bring relief, call your dermatologist.  Steroid based treatment is always an option but there's risk involved, including immune suppression from repeated treatment.  It's serious business.

Removal is tough.  The plants are hardy.  There are any number of commercial grade sprays which many plants survive.  Do not burn or weed-whack the plants.  They will send toxic oil and fumes into the air and contaminate tools.  Those who are highly sensitive can ingest and become very ill.  A professional is recommended. 

When in the yard--be careful. 

This unremarkable emerald vine can cause at least ten days of burning, tingling trouble.



More Articles of Interest:

Winter Weeds and Good Deeds --Global Warming and Invasive Species

Hey! Look What Survived the Winter in My Garden!

How or When to Trim Rhododendrons - Snap!

How to trim a rhododedron.  Cutting back a rhododendron's kind of tricky--but simple.

During a tour of the yard,  Ellen suddenly reached out and snapped off a dried blossom.

 "You know you're supposed to twist these off?"  I nodded solemnly, but truth was, I'd had no idea.

Now I snap off the blossoms just when they begin to resemble dried tarantulas. The benefit is twofold.  New bud growth is stronger and faded petals don't adhere to green leaves, discoloring them. 

Just when the garden nears perfection, it's time to move and start over.  Our new yard has great bones, but was sadly in need of maintenance.

The rhododendron hedge was overgrown, untended, yet robust.  Sheltered by a construction dumpster this past winter, the shrubs bloomed profusely. They benefit from windbreaks natural or manmade.

Bill and I spent the afternoon filling that same dumpster with trimmings.



Rhodos have a tendency to sprout gangly branches. The goal should be a soft, semi-rounded shape. Thus remove any cowlick branches at a Y-shaped junction well into the plant.  Rhododendrons should never be trimmed with hedge trimmers or hand shears.  No brushcuts.  Use hand lopers to thin thicker branches.

To create fullness, open the lower and interior plant to sunlight.  Crop branches that criss-cross or lie on another. 

Then, remove spent blooms.  New growth will already be pushing through, resembling tiny horns, pale green in color. Be delicate, although there's always a few casualties.  Pointed flower snips provide precision removal with the least amount of damage.

 Remove any yellowed or spotted leaves.


When pruning is complete, give the plant a dose of coffee grounds (free with Starbucks Grounds for the Garden) or acidic plant food.  A phone call ahead to the coffee shop will ensure enough grounds for the project. 

Mulch around the base.


It's gonna be spectacular next year!

I only hope the dumpster's gone by next Spring?

Related blogs:

No More Bad Haircuts-- How to Trim Shrubs


Green Fences -- Boxwood Hedges to Hydrangea Hedgerows