How to Grow Super Elfin Pink
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Super Elfin Pink
Impatiens walleriana 'Super Elfin Pink'
flowerSuper Elfin Pink is a compact impatiens cultivar prized for its profusion of vibrant pink flowers and dense, bushy growth habit. It reaches only 10-12 inches tall, making it ideal for containers, borders, and shaded garden spaces. This variety produces flowers continuously throughout the growing season with minimal deadheading required.
When should you plant Super Elfin Pink in your zone?
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Example Super Elfin Pink timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant Super Elfin Pink
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 Super Elfin Pink blooms
Around May 27≈ 40 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Super Elfin Pink dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Thrives in zones 3-11 as an annual; can be grown year-round in zones 9-11
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Seedling
2-3 weeksTiny seedlings with 2-4 true leaves emerge. Plants are very delicate and sensitive to overwatering.
Maintain high humidity, keep soil barely moist, provide bright indirect light, maintain 70-75°F temperature.
Vegetative
3-4 weeksPlant develops multiple stems and fuller foliage. Compact, bushy shape forms naturally without pinching.
Begin watering more regularly, fertilize weekly with balanced or slightly higher phosphorus fertilizer, maintain warm conditions above 60°F.
Pre-flowering
1-2 weeksPlant reaches near full size with 10-12 inches height, flower buds begin to form at branch tips.
Continue regular watering and feeding, ensure adequate light without direct sun scorching, pinch tips lightly if shape is uneven.
Flowering
8-12 weeks or until frostAbundant pink flowers cover the plant in continuous succession. Flowers are 1-1.5 inches across.
Maintain consistent moisture and feeding every 7-10 days, deadheading is optional but promotes continuous bloom, monitor for pests on flower buds.
Decline
Variable, until frost or end of seasonFlowering slows as temperatures drop in fall, plant growth becomes leggy if kept indoors over winter.
Reduce watering and fertilizing, bring indoors before first frost if saving for next year, provide bright indirect light indoors, lower temperature to 60-65°F.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Increase humidity with misting, spray with water to dislodge, use insecticidal soap or neem oil if severe, isolate affected plants
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Use yellow sticky traps, spray undersides of leaves with neem oil or insecticidal soap weekly, improve air circulation
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Remove with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, spray with neem oil, isolate infested plants
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Improve air circulation, reduce leaf wetness (water at soil level), remove infected leaves, apply fungicide if severe
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and
Remove by hand, use beer traps, apply copper tape around containers, reduce excess moisture
Uses
Edible flowers
CulinaryImpatiens flowers are non-toxic and can be used as colorful edible garnishes on salads and desserts. They have a mild, slightly sweet flavor. [source]
Container and landscape color
HouseholdSuper Elfin Pink is ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, borders, and shaded garden beds, providing reliable color from spring through fall. [source]
Pressed flowers
CraftThe delicate pink flowers can be dried and pressed for use in botanical crafts, cards, and decorative projects. [source]
Pollinator attraction
WildlifeFlowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators to the garden throughout the growing season. [source]
Traditional uses
MedicinalSome cultures use impatiens species traditionally for minor skin irritations, though scientific evidence is limited. [source]
This is not medical advice. LizPlants is not a medical resource. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using plants medicinally.
Harvest Tips
Impatiens is grown for flowers rather than harvest. Pinch off spent flower clusters to encourage bushier growth (optional, as this variety flowers prolifically). Cut stems make good short-lived cut flowers; harvest in early morning and place immediately in water.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 The name 'impatiens' comes from the Latin word meaning 'impatient,' referring to how the ripe seed pods explosively eject their seeds when touched—a dispersal method called ballistic dehiscence.
- 🌱 Super Elfin Pink was bred to be more compact and floriferous than older impatiens varieties, making it a favorite for commercial growers and home gardeners since its introduction in the 1980s.
- 🌱 Impatiens is one of the most popular shade-loving flowering plants worldwide, sometimes called 'busy lizzie' because it produces flowers so prolifically and continuously.
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
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