55 photos of balsam: care in the garden and at home

Balsam, due to its beauty and unpretentiousness, is a very popular flower.

Balsam is one of the oldest inhabitants of gardens and apartments, which still does not lose its popularity today. It is enough to go to any forum of florists and gardeners, where you can always find a lot of photos and discussions, the hero of which is Vanka wet. This is the second common name of the flower in our country, associated with the fact that after watering, small droplets form on the leaves. But the British call him “zealous Lisa” for a long flowering.

The main types of balsams

More than 400 species of balsam are known in nature, but since their natural habitat is the tropics and subtropics of Africa, India and Malaysia, the south of China, only a few species are cultivated in our Northern Hemisphere:

• garden balsam – often called Vanka wet, the most famous and popular type. Garden balsam has been cultivated in culture since 1542. It is an erect plant of spherical or pyramidal shape, it can reach a height of 70 cm. The stems are fleshy, smooth, green, easily break at the nodes. Leaves are lanceolate, petiolate, serrated at the edges, the whole bush is densely leafy. The flower is large, irregular, depending on the variety, it can be either simple or double, the color is from white to purple. Flowering begins in June and lasts until the first cold weather. The plant is very thermophilic, therefore, planting in the middle lane is not recommended until June

Garden balsam will be the perfect decoration for your landscape

Garden balsam with two-tone flower color

Beautifully designed landscape of a country house

• Waller’s balsam – a species that is gaining popularity thanks to a variety of hybrid varieties, it is he who most often becomes the hero of the photo on “flower” sites and forums. It has larger flowers than the garden one, which are abundantly placed at the ends of the stems. Modern series have a wide variety of colors (only white, 17 shades have been bred, as well as shades of lilac, red and pink), there are varieties that have a two-tone color. The flower shape can be either simple or semi-double or double (Rosette, Duet and Confection series). A peculiarity of the species – in partial shade, the flowers have a brighter color than those of the specimens in the sun. This is a perennial plant, relatively low (15-20 cm), but in open areas it is grown exclusively as an annual, with the first frost it immediately dies. The main disadvantage is very fragile stems, which can easily break in heavy rain or a sharp gust of wind, which must be taken into account when choosing a place for planting.

Wonderful pink impatiens buds

Waller’s balsam

• balsam new guinea – a perennial bushy flower obtained by long-term selection. Compared to other species, it differs in the largest flowers with different (all shades of red, white, purple, pink) color, which have a characteristic spur at the bottom. Balsam New Guinea blooms almost all year round. Leaves – from bright green to bronze, sometimes motley coloring is found. This species is very light and heat-loving, so it is better to grow it in conservatories or rooms where it can develop normally for several years. Sometimes New Guinea balsam in the form of ready-made seedlings is planted on the site as an annual plant, choosing for it a well-lit and reliably protected from the wind place.

Hanging planter with New Guinea impatiens

Vases with gorgeous flowers

Balsams in landscape design

In landscape design, balsams are used for planting in flower beds or flower beds, medium-sized (whose height is 20-50 cm) varieties are used for landscaping balconies and loggias. Planting balsams in groups can create lucrative accents in the garden..

Roly wet in flower bed decoration

Impatiens never ceases to amaze with its variety of colors

Despite the fact that “wet Vanka” does not tolerate dampness and cold, with high humidity and the presence of heat, the flower begins to actively develop and bloom profusely, therefore it is often used to decorate the banks of reservoirs.

Decorating the shore of a decorative pond with balsam flowers

Fuchsia, begonia, verbena, bell and ageratum will make a good company for the balsam; the combination of boxwood and garden balsam looks original.

A beautiful flower bed with a harmonious combination of different colors

Walter’s balsam looks good in flower boxes or hanging planters, while, due to its unpretentiousness, it does not require a large amount of nutritious soil for planting, as is the case with petunia seedlings. It develops well in small pots, but it is very important to observe the moisture regime – a hydrogel is added to the soil, and the plant itself must be periodically watered and fed using fertilizers for flowering plants.

A balsam flower box can be a wonderful window decoration

Impatiens in a hanging planter

Balsams have forced many gardeners to reconsider their attitude to vertical beds. With the help of Waller’s balsam, vertical gardening can be carried out, abandoning decorative, but not blooming so abundantly, lianas. To obtain a flower screen, a coarse-mesh plastic net connected to black lutrasil is fixed on four strong pegs (a type of covering material, it is often used for mulching). The resulting container must be filled with earth, while laying two pipes inside – watering will be carried out through them. Bushes of flowering balsam are planted in the cuts in the lutrasil, which over time, growing, will close and form one large flowering screen.

Excellent vertical flower bed

Balsams in the garden: planting, care, reproduction

Balsams are quite unpretentious and not at all capricious in growing a plant. They grow well in partial shade and in the sun, but not in a bright place – if it is very hot, the leaves and flowers begin to fade, so you should choose a place that is in the shade at noon.

Spectacular combination of red flowers and leaves with a bronze tint

Balsam is a rather unpretentious plant

Planting balsam

Fertile, light, neutral acidity, well-drained soils are suitable for him. Does not tolerate drafts – its fleshy stems are very fragile, they can easily break. When planting, the distance between the bushes depends on the specific variety, but on average is about 25 cm. In this case, the grown bushes close up, forming a single flowering carpet. However, this gives not only a decorative effect, but allows better preservation of moisture in the soil and increases the joint resistance to wind..

Delightful blooming carpet

Care and watering

For abundant and intense flowering, balsams must be weeded, watered and fed regularly. Top dressing is carried out with complex fertilizers (highly diluted), every two weeks. In order to prevent the accumulation of salts in the soil (this causes yellowing and shedding of leaves by the plant), it is better to carry out foliar dressing.

Impatiens pale pink looks very beautiful

Intensive breeding work has made it possible to breed many hybrids and varieties

Balsam loves even, regular watering, as well as spraying the leaves. The latter also acts as a way to protect against spider mites, which infect the plant if the air is excessively dry..

Reproduction

Balsam is propagated by cuttings and seeds. For propagation by cuttings, a strong healthy shoot is chosen, a 5-10 cm long stalk is cut off and, after removing the lower leaves, it is placed in warm water. After the roots appear (after 7-11 days), the cuttings are planted in pots. The cuttings take root well, grow quickly and bloom in a few months. Propagation by cuttings is beneficial in that the plant fully retains its varietal characteristics..

Balsam seeds

To get a seedling for planting in the ground at the end of spring, seeds are sown in March, and to get flowering at the end of May, planting is carried out in January. For planting, use a wet substrate (sand, peat, perlite), after fondant, the box is covered with glass (tightened with cellophane). The recommended temperature is 18 ° -20 ° C, plus regular spraying and airing. The dive is carried out after the appearance of two leaves..

Young balsam sprouts

At the end of the season, transplanting large, well-developed balsam bushes into pots is impractical – most often, such bushes die. It is much easier to cut the cuttings and plant them in pots – then by the beginning of the new season you will have promising young plants that will well tolerate planting in open ground.

Balsam: home care

Indoor balsam is a non-capricious and undemanding flower, it is easy to care for it, but at the same time it retains almost year-round flowering. The best place for homemade balsam is windows on the east side, it will receive enough light, but at the same time it will be sheltered from the scorching midday rays.

Impatiens is also known as a perennial, unpretentious houseplant.

Balsams are very thermophilic, in winter the temperature in the room should not fall below 15 degrees, while watering should be significantly reduced. In summer, balsam must be watered every other day, in winter – 2 times a week. Room balsam is watered with settled, soft water. Hard water makes the soil alkaline and the plant begins to wilt. In this case, it is necessary to replace the topsoil..

For balsam, the pot should be a little “cramped”, there should be a little soil, otherwise the young balsam will begin to develop the available space, the bush will grow, but the plant will have no resources left for flowering. Flowers will appear only when the roots completely fill the pot..

In order for a young bush to bloom faster, the pot must be selected slightly cramped

Advice! You can plant two different varieties of balsams in a large pot – getting along well, they will create a decoratively attractive pair.

To improve growth and flowering, balsams need systematic (once every 2 weeks) feeding. To rejuvenate an overgrown plant, it is strongly pruned, and the resulting cuttings are used for further reproduction..

Impatiens are annual and perennial.

Balsam (Vanka wet) – tips for grooming, planting, and reproduction, watch the video: