My impatiens plants look great for a while, then get stalk-y.?

Can I cut them back? how much? I live in California.

My impatiens plants look great for a while, then get stalk-y.?
i also live in Calif... inpatients are an annual (you have to replant them every year.. I love these plants.. if you look at your plant, you will notice that once the branches get really long, a bunch of new growth starts at the base.. when they start to look straggly, i will cut off the long stems, above the new growth (it will look like you just planted them) and then add miracle grow .. you will see a whole new growth and flowers come up.. inpatients have a big root span, so if they are in the ground, or in a pot with extra shade and water..doing this.. you might actually get a few of the plants back next year!! (surprising, but IT has happened to me!!) remember.. these beautiful plants do not like to be watered where the flowers and leaves get hit by the water.. so only the base and soil!! good luck
Reply:They require lots and lots of water. Daily. Maybe twice daily.
Reply:They are annuals so by the end of the season they do start to look leggy and bad. Also if impatiens are planted in full sun, they tend to get leggy faster, since impatiens are shade loving plants.





I see it a lot in gardens. Not saying that you can't plant impatiens in full sun, but they do better in partial shade.





Since they are annuals, replant some new ones!
Reply:I live in CA, too. You can absolutely cut them back. How far depends on how leggy they are getting, but you can cut the stems back to within a couple of inches of the base of the plant with no harm at all. The new growth will be much thicker and denser.


You can also just pinch off the branches as they grow, which will save you from having to do more drastic cutting back. When I have time to really pay attention to my plants, I just pinch off the growing ends of 1 or 2 branches each week. That way I always have branches with blooms and branches that are developing more growth buds, and my plants always look good.


I don't know what part of CA you live in, but in Zone 9 (or Sunset Zone 15), my impatiens will overwinter in a sheltered place like the front porch, where they don't get much frost.