GardenSMART :: Grow Impatiens Again With Confidence
Grow Impatiens Again With Confidence
By PanAmerican Seed
Photographs courtesy of PanAmerican Seed
The team at PanAmerican Seed is thrilled to announce that gardeners can once again grow impatiens ... with confidence! The new Beacon® Impatiens offer high resistance to the devastating disease impatiens downy mildew, which caused plant loss and an overall hole in shade gardens across the globe.
Beacon Impatiens blooms all season long in hanging baskets, window boxes and patio containers, and it fills gardens fast with bright color and mounds of flowers. These are true Impatiens walleriana, with the same plant structure, flower size and key color range that gardeners have missed for several years due to the pressure of this host-specific disease. Now, with the launch of Beacon, PanAmerican Seed offers an impatiens downy mildew resistant option, and the chance to enjoy this well-known, in-demand, easy-to-grow and versatile flower without the risk of losing the plant to destructive disease.
"Since 2011, the world has been waiting for the chance to bring impatiens back, and grow them with confidence," says Claire Josephson, Product Marketing Manager for PanAmerican Seed. "The new Beacon Impatiens have been years in the making, and we're thrilled to be able to re-introduce impatiens as a quick and easy solution for flowers in the shade."
In the spirit of bringing color – and happiness – back to gardens all over the world, PanAmerican Seed also announces it will donate 3% of its global Beacon Impatiens sales to different, less-widely known charitable organizations to "shine the light" on their cause. The company will select a new charity each gardening season, beginning with The Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation for the 2019-2020 product launch year.
OI is a genetic bone disorder characterized by fragile bones that break easily, also known as brittle bone disease. It is estimated that 25,000 to 50,000 people in the United States have OI. The donation will go toward helping The OI Foundation improve the quality of life for those living with the disease through research, education, awareness and mutual support.
"Shining a light on OI, a rare disorder, is one way we as a company can put the devastating effects of impatiens downy mildew behind us and put the next generation of impatiens to work for others," Says Sean Valk, Global Director of Sales for PanAmerican Seed. "By selecting a new lesser-known cause each year, Beacon Impatiens can do as much good as possible."
To purchase Beacon Impatiens, look for seed packets from mail-order retailers across North America. The full rollout of Beacon Impatiens is scheduled for Spring 2020.
Visit www.BeaconImpatiens.com to learn more about Beacon Impatiens, to read its origin story, and to get further details about the charitable donation from Beacon sales.
About PanAmerican Seed:
PanAmerican Seed is an internationally renowned breeder and producer of seed-raised flowers and vegetables based in West Chicago, IL, that produces high-quality and best-performing varieties. Research facilities in North and South America, the Pacific Rim and Europe enable us to test and evaluate new plants under numerous climatic conditions. Our state-of-the-art seed centers guarantee quick, efficient processing of orders for our worldwide customers. Visit www.panamseed.com for more information.
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By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
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