Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Bees love impatiens capensis  (Read 2952 times)

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Bees love impatiens capensis
« on: November 24, 2006, 10:59:30 am »
We have a beautiful annual that grows prolifically on our wet southwest coast.  The bees go nuts on this from about August until frost or cold weather kills it down come the middle of October.  It is a great fall nectar and pollen plant.  It is very cool to watch the bees enter the flower and come out all happy.  LOL.  It likes to grow in mucky, wet soil, in shadey spots.  It started years ago along the edge of the top of our ravine and has migrated quickly thoughout the years to behind the horse barns, where I think it will stop, because the shadiness stops there.  It grows about 5 feet tall, is very succulent with hollow stems.  It is a very tricky plant to try and get seed from, if anyone has ever tried to save seed from any type of impatiens, the moment you come near to touch it it flies out probably about 10 feet, never to be had again.  But I have discovered a way to trick the plant, so I have gathered seed and will try to get it to the back of my property where again it is shadey and mucky.  We will see.  The more late season that can be provided for the girls, certainly the better.  Does wild impatiens grow anywhere else, I'm sure it does, but I would be interested to hear.  Great day. Cindi



There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline nepenthes

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 512
  • Little honey bee in flight
    • Photo Album
Re: Bees love impatiens capensis
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2006, 11:56:16 am »
Grows all the way from Ohio To New York, I couldn't never remember what the plant was called, but Its an awesome plant.
"I have never wished to cater to the crowd, for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not know." - Epicurus.

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Bees love impatiens capensis
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2006, 12:13:55 pm »
Grows all the way from Ohio To New York, I couldn't never remember what the plant was called, but Its an awesome plant.

Ah, rats!! And I thought that we had a plant that only grows here (LOL).  There is also one that is called "impatiens grandulafera", grows even taller, same flowers, but pretty pink, I am going to trade some of my species with a woman in another area, across the river from me, she wants capensis and I want grandulifera, can't wait for spring.  The winter solstace is only less than a month away now!! Hurray.  Great day. Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Archie

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 106
  • Gender: Male
Re: Bees love impatiens capensis
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2006, 08:03:21 pm »
Hi,

these flowers grow all over the place.  we have a yellow one too.  my mom always called them "touch me not" because the seed pod would explode when you touched them;

Archie
Honey, Vermont sunshine in a bottle.

 

anything