How to Grow Blushing Susie
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Blushing Susie
Impatiens walleriana
flowerBlushing Susie is a tender annual impatiens variety featuring delicate flowers with white centers that blush pink or red toward the petal edges. This compact, shade-loving plant produces abundant blooms throughout the growing season and is ideal for containers, hanging baskets, and shaded garden beds. It thrives in warm, humid conditions and requires minimal maintenance once established.
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Example Blushing Susie timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant Blushing Susie
Around Apr 17Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
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Tend & protect
Late spring–summerWatering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
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First Blushing Susie blooms
Around Jun 16≈ 60 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Blushing Susie dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Zones 10-11; grown as a tender annual in cooler zones (treat as annual in zones 2-9)
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Seedling
2-3 weeksTiny seedlings with 2-4 true leaves emerge. Very delicate and require high humidity and consistent moisture.
Maintain 70-75°F soil temperature. Provide bright, indirect light. Mist regularly to prevent damping off. Thin seedlings to prevent overcrowding.
Vegetative Growth
3-4 weeksPlant develops dense foliage with numerous stems and leaves. Growth is compact and bushy with bright green succulent-like leaves.
Pinch back stem tips when 2-3 inches tall to encourage bushiness. Maintain consistent moisture and warmth (65-75°F). Fertilize every 2 weeks with balanced fertilizer.
Flowering
8-16 weeks (continues until frost)Abundant small flowers appear at branch tips, featuring white centers that fade to pink or red at petal edges. Flowers are typically 1-1.5 inches across.
Continue regular watering and fertilizing. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming. Avoid overhead watering to prevent flower spotting.
Peak Bloom
4-12 weeks depending on conditionsPlant becomes smothered in flowers, with new blooms continuously opening. Color deepens in cooler temperatures.
Maintain weekly fertilizing. Pinch back leggy growth to maintain shape. Provide afternoon shade in very hot climates. Increase watering frequency.
Decline
End of seasonAs temperatures drop below 50°F or approaching end of season, flowering slows and plant may become leggy. Foliage yellows if frosted.
Bring container plants indoors before first frost to extend blooming. Plants are frost-tender and will blacken with freezing temperatures.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Increase humidity by misting; rinse leaves with water; use insecticidal soap if severe. Avoid very hot, dry conditions.
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Use yellow sticky traps; spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap every 7 days. Remove heavily infested leaves.
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Allow soil surface to dry slightly between waterings; use sand layer on soil top; use yellow sticky traps; apply Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis).
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Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap; remove with cotton swab dipped in alcohol for isolated infestations.
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Improve air circulation; reduce humidity slightly; remove affected leaves; apply sulfur dust or neem oil fungicide; avoid wetting foliage.
Uses
Container & Hanging Basket Displays
HouseholdBlushing Susie is ideal for shaded containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets where it creates a profusion of delicate, eye-catching flowers. Its compact, trailing habit makes it perfect for creating living color in patios and entryways with limited light. [source]
Shade Garden Groundcover
HouseholdPlant Blushing Susie in mass plantings under trees or along shaded borders to create continuous color from summer through fall. It fills shaded areas where many other flowering plants struggle. [source]
Pollinator Support
WildlifeThe delicate flowers attract bees and other pollinators, providing nectar when many shade plants are not blooming. It extends the foraging season in partially shaded gardens. [source]
Cut Flower Arrangements
CraftDelicate Blushing Susie blooms work well in small indoor arrangements and floral designs, adding delicate texture and soft coloring. The flowers last several days in water. [source]
Indoor Houseplant
HouseholdContainer-grown Blushing Susie can be brought indoors for winter blooming near bright, indirect light. It adapts well to indoor conditions with proper humidity and consistent moisture. [source]
Harvest Tips
Blushing Susie is grown for ornamental flowers rather than harvest. Deadhead spent blooms regularly by pinching them off to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season. Cut stems can be brought indoors in small arrangements and will last 3-5 days in water.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Blushing Susie is a member of the Impatiens genus, which contains over 1,000 species native primarily to tropical regions of Africa and Asia, making it well-adapted to warm, humid growing conditions.
- 🌱 The plant earned the common name 'Impatiens' because its seed pods will explosively dehisce (burst open) when touched when ripe, forcefully dispersing seeds—a mechanism called ballochory.
- 🌱 Unlike many flowering plants, Impatiens flowers are primarily pollinated by bees in their native habitat, and the distinctive bicolor pattern (white with pink-red edges) acts as a 'landing pad' to guide pollinators to the flower's center.
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
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