I've been growing them for years and have never had them come back or reseed themselves except in the frost-free greenhouse.

Hmmm, I wonder what's the secret with hers then??? She says they just started blooming from some pots she had sitting out and keep coming back every year, thicker than ever. They truly are beautiful, seem thicker every year.

I also have impatiens growing like weeds at my house. The former owner planted a few flats ten or so years ago and they reseed every year. Every place a seed drops or shoots in the fall a plant grows the following June. Our house is in the middle of a woods and other plants, alysium and johnny jump-ups, also reseed.

I think impatiens reseeding and coming back is a rare phenomena anywhere there is any frost. Consider yourselves very very lucky. I have seen impatiens rooted in water over winter.

I'm in Raleigh, NC, and my impatiens come back year after year IF there is enough constant moisture for the seedlings and if the ground was undisturbed and if there wasn't much mulch to prevent seed-to-soil contact.

Are you certain they are impatients? When we moved into our house 4 years ago there were what we thought to be a thick bed of impatients along the front walkway to our house. It turned out that were not impatients but vinca.

I had two huge beds of impatiens that came back every year. In fact, the bed spread some every year. Last year, though, the late frost killed one bed. Much of the other bed came back, though.

I plant impatiens in 6 different spots in my yard, and they only came back in two. Both of these spots are undisturbed all year, I don't plant anything else there. Both spots are lightly mulched with pine straw, and are shady with some dappled sun. I live near Atlanta, if that helps.

Good luck.

Definitely they reseed in 7a for me, also in Raleigh/Durham area. My whites came back pink, so seeds are not "true." I don't think that the roots can survive frost.

WELL, this spring while planting my impatiens I noticed many impatien seedlings that obviously made it through the winter (from last year). I've let a few of them 'go' just to see what comes of them, but they are definitely impatiens and I'm in Z5 - unprotected bed... I'll keep you folks updated.

I, too, am in central NC, and would not have believed it if I had not seen it! I discovered impatiens yesterday in 2 beds where I normally plant them but did not this year! They must have re-seeded as I normally pull them up in mid-autumn.I was so excited to find these!

I've never had them reseed after the winter, but I did have some seed themselves along the edge of my house at the end of the summer last year. So if you're in a warm enough climate, I believe it!

I am in Indiana and the petunias do that around here but so far not impatiens! I wish they would though!