Impatiens Arguta

Impatiens arguta is a hardy Himalayan busy lizzie with fleshy upright stems, deeply veined toothed leaves and elegant sprays of tubular flowers from midsummer into autumn. Blooms are usually pale purple, violet or blue-mauve, with a long curved spur that gives them an exotic appearance in shade. Unlike familiar bedding impatiens, the plant retreats underground for winter and returns from a perennial crown in spring. It is a valuable source of late colour beneath shrubs, beside woodland paths or in a sheltered damp border where rich soil never dries out.