Somehow, that sounds very familiar.

I'm a little kid when it comes to planting seeds. I can't wait to see when they come up!

Keep us posted, MelDawn! Some nurseries - the reputable ones, that is, - are not selling the Impatiens walleriana or Impatiens balsamina cultivars this year because of the widespread, deadly Impatiens downy mildew disease that has been killing these plants right and left. The only species that are not yet affected are the Sunpatiens and New Guinea Inpatiens. Researchers are working on a solution, which may come soon.

Seed grown plants are just as vulnerable to the disease as nursery grown varieties because the spores can be airborne or Bird spread for many miles. Some Impatiens May possibly continue to grow if the weather gets hot enough, quick enough to halt its progression. Eventually, once the weather returns to conducive conditions for it to thrive, the disease progression picks up where it left off and the death of the plants is inevitable.

If the tips of your plants begin to droop, and watering does not help, and you begin to see a fuzzy or furry texture on the leaves, the disease has your plants in a fatal death grip, from which they will not recover. There are other symptoms noted in the attached articles. The only solution is to dispose of the affected plants in the trash. Do not compost them. Cool, moist environments are attributable for the flourishing of the disease as well, and we have had a lot of that this year.

It is sad because Impatiens are a huge moneymaker for nurserymen. I hope they find a solution soon.

I've attached an article from MSU fyi. This strain of downy mildew only affects Impatiens. There are many other strains that affect a lot of different ornamental and food crops.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Impatiens Downy Mildew