Question
Hello,

I have planted impatiens in a shaded flower bed for 20 years changing the colors yearly.  I was away from my home for 3 weeks in July and returned to find over a dozen impatien plants from last year's colors growing over 10 feet away from the original bed. Little rain fell and no watering was done during my absence. I've never had impatiens reseed like this.  Is this possible?  They are growing beautifully now.

Thanks for your reply,
Karen


Answer
Karen,
Yes, Impatiens do reseed pretty regularly, but the germination is largely dependent on the amount of rainfall in April or May.  My guess is that you had a wet spring, or at least had regular showers in April and May.  

The problem with the reseeding of impatiens (or any annual, really) is that we can't always count on having a wet spring, so we can't count on the plants reseeding.  Also, they seldom seed where they were planted before because impstiens throw their seed.  (This is something fun if you've never seen it.  Look on an impatiens plant for seed pods - look for the most mature ones you can find that have not opened yet, and gently pick them.   Then poke them with a finger and they EXPLODE, throwing their seed yards away.  Kids love this.)

So... enjoy your surprise impatiens!   Self-seeded plants can be an unexpected treasure in the garden!
C.L. Fornari