I think by now many of you know that planting impatiens is not a good idea. Downy Mildew, a devastating disease, killed many impatiens during the last few years and as of now, there is no cure.

So what should you do? It’s simple – plant something else! There are so many other beautiful annuals you can plant instead of impatiens; and at Hicks, we’ve made it easy for you to spot them!

We have created an ‘Impatiens Replacements’ sign program to make it simple for customers to identify plants that require similar conditions to impatiens – and honestly, I think you will like some of the options even more than impatiens!

Here are a few of our favorites:

• Big/Whopper Begonia: Hybridized for long lasting color, these varieties grow up to 36 inches tall providing tons of flowers in areas of shade to sun.

• New Guinea Impatiens: A “cousin” of regular impatiens that is NOT affected by downy mildew. Grows 18-24-inches tall. New guineas are great in sun or shade and provide larger plant blooms than normal impatiens so you need to plant less.

• Torenia: Available in shades of blue and pink, torenia has a trailing habit which makes it great for hanging baskets. Blooms all summer in shade/part sun.

Aaron Caladium• Caladium: Beautiful tropical foliage plant. Use it in containers or border plantings. Grows 18-24-inches tall in shades of pink, red and white. Prefers shade to part sun.

Coleus annuals• Coleus: There are dozens of varieties which grow from 1-2’ all the way up to 4’. Many different shades of colors, shapes and sizes to choose from. Sun tends to fade leaves on some varieties, others it brings out the color.

So be sure to look for signs with this symbol when shopping at Hicks Nurseries for impatiens replacements. And as always, our dedicated staff is here to help you find exactly what you are looking for. For more information about Downy mildew, click here. For a complete list of impatiens replacements, click here.

Whopper Begonia New Guinea Impatiens Torenia flowers