old fashioned busy lizzies

[sparkymick]

do theses old fasioned ( the one granny had ) still exist. I havnt seen one for years

[boxtops]

They certainly do, you can still buy them in garden centres or as seeds.

[Rapunzel61]

got some in my garden! - Although they've taken a battering of late with the kids been home from school (neighbours kids, not mine, mine are all grown up and live away), they keep geting squashed with their footballs

[Ann]

Beware of the fungal disease that is spreading rapidly in UK on busy lizzies - Thompson and Morgan informed us of it at their open day last month and everyone I know including myself) have lost theirs this year, the buds don't open, then drop off followed by the leaves and you are just left with bare stalks. I have grown them for years but no more ..... I will switch to growing the huge begonias which have come into their own recently, especially the "Illumination Apricot" trailing ones - in deep orange/peach shades, they are fabulous.

[sparkymick]

Ann, what part of the country are you from ?

[rowanwitch]

the tall ones' like granny had' have been pretty much replaced by the low growing more heavily flowering ones bred for garden borders. If I go to the King's heath gardeners weekend there are a couple of impatiens exhibitors I could ask for you

[Ann]

SparkyMick - I live in Leicestershire but this Busy Lizzie (Impatiens) fungal disease (called Downy Mildew) is happening all over the country and is much worse this year due to the weather conditions. Thompson & Morgan showed us hundreds of their hanging baskets affected by it at their trial grounds open day at the end of July.