How to Grow White Basket
Wikimedia Commons
White Basket
Impatiens walleriana 'White Basket'
flowerWhite Basket is a cultivar of busy lizzie featuring abundant pure white flowers that bloom continuously throughout the growing season. This tender annual thrives in shaded to partially shaded locations and produces trailing stems ideal for hanging baskets and containers. It's a heat-loving plant that brings bright, cheerful blooms to shaded garden areas where many other flowers struggle.
When should you plant White Basket in your zone?
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Example White Basket timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant White Basket
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 White Basket blooms
Around May 22≈ 35 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact White Basket dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Best grown as an annual in zones 3-9; perennial in zones 10-11
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Seedling
3-4 weeksTiny seedlings emerge with cotyledons and initial true leaves; very delicate and slow-growing from seed
Maintain 70-75°F soil temperature. Provide bright, indirect light. Keep soil moist. Use bottom heat to speed germination (14-21 days). Avoid waterlogging.
Vegetative Growth
3-4 weeksPlant develops multiple stems and leafy growth with small leaves; no flowers yet. Bushy habit develops with proper pinching
Pinch back growing tips every 2-3 weeks to encourage branching. Maintain consistent moisture. Fertilize every 2 weeks with balanced fertilizer. Keep in warm, shaded location (65-75°F).
Budding
2-3 weeksFlower buds begin to form at leaf axils; plant transitions from purely vegetative to reproductive phase
Continue regular watering and fertilization. Reduce nitrogen fertilizer slightly if desired, or maintain balanced feeding. Ensure adequate air circulation. Temperature should remain 65-72°F.
Flowering
8-12+ weeks until frost (can be months)Abundant white flowers open, typically with slightly ruffled petals; flowering becomes continuous and prolific
Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming. Maintain consistent moisture. Continue fertilizing every 2 weeks. Provide shade during intense heat. Pinch back overly long stems if needed.
Decline/End of Season
Variable; until first frost or plant deathFlowering slows and stops as temperatures cool below 60°F or frost approaches; plant loses vigor
Plants are frost-tender; bring indoors before first frost or treat as annual. Can be cut back and overwintered indoors in cool, bright location. Reduce watering if overwintering.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Spray with water to knock off mites; use insecticidal soap; increase humidity; severe cases may require miticide
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Use yellow sticky traps; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; ensure good air circulation
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Remove with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil
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Allow soil surface to dry between waterings; use yellow sticky traps; larvae control with sand layer on soil surface
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Improve air circulation; avoid overhead watering; spray with sulfur fungicide or baking soda solution in early stages
Uses
Container and Hanging Basket Display
HouseholdWhite Basket's trailing habit and prolific white flowers make it ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, and container gardens. Its shade tolerance allows it to brighten areas where few other flowering plants thrive. [source]
Indoor Houseplant
HouseholdCan be grown as a houseplant year-round indoors near bright, indirect windows. Provides continuous white flowers in low-light interior spaces. [source]
Cut Flower Arrangements
CraftThe delicate white flowers are excellent for fresh flower arrangements and bouquets. Stems last several days in water and will continue to produce new flowers. [source]
Pollinator Attraction
WildlifeThe flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, making it valuable for supporting beneficial insects in shaded gardens. [source]
Harvest Tips
White Basket is an ornamental flower, not harvested for food or materials. Deadhead spent blooms by pinching just below the flower head to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season. Cut stems can be used in fresh arrangements and will continue to bloom in water for several days.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Impatiens are called 'busy lizzies' because they produce flowers so prolifically and continuously that they appear to be working constantly.
- 🌱 White Basket impatiens are sensitive to frost and will die at the slightest touch of freezing temperatures, which is why they're treated as annuals in most regions.
- 🌱 Unlike most flowering plants, impatiens actually prefer and thrive in shade, making them one of the few plants that produce abundant flowers with minimal direct sunlight.
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
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