Avid gardener Christine Craven popped by The Richmond Newson Wednesday in hopes of notifying the public that impatiens are not to be trusted this year.
The popular annual flower has been suffering from a blight of downy mildew that sees the plants die within weeks of purchasing them.
Craven said some nurseries and retailers in Richmond are selling impatiens walleriana without notifying customers of the problem that spread from Europe to North America in 2011.
“There’s a bit of a rip-off going on here,” said Craven,
Art Knapps Plantland manager Anita Renkema said her store on Alderbridge Way will continue to sell the impatiens, but signs will be placed at the tables warning customers. Also, staff are being directed to inform customers at checkout.
“A lot of growers have chosen not to grow them, and, as retail nurseries, we’re aware of the problems,” she said, noting demand for the shade-loving, annual flowers is still relatively high — even in light of the mildew problem.
“So many people have their hearts set on them,” she said.
Renkema said she trusts her local grower to ensure the store’s batch isn’t infected.
According to Canadiangardening.com, downy mildew spreads from the underside of leaves through wind and rain. It only affects impatiens walleriana, not other varieties.
If you find mildew on your impatiens, do not put the infected plants in your compost bins. Instead, the gardening website recommends you place them in a bag and deliver them to the municipal compost facility, which has higher heats that can kill off the mildew. Also, clean out any containers that had infected plants.
