I used to do all white impatiens at a former house and it was stunning, you're right, they grow the biggest, I'll try to find a picture of my record year, even my gardener couldn't believe how big they were that particular time.

Your house is so pretty !!!

This is a much better picture from the summer before.

{{gwi:5543}}

THanks, mitch! The white impatiens last year were twice the size of the pinks.

The second picture was taken before we got new windows installed.

Oh, yes, all white impatiens would be beautiful with the deep purples. Stunning! I love your house - but, then, I used to have one just like it!

I'm going to plant all whites in two gardens under trees in my yard this year. Can't wait to get out there.

Be sure you post a pic when yours are in full bloom!

I think all white with the dark purple petunias would be stunning with your house colors. Come back and post a pic when it's all full and blooming!

I underplant white impatiens throughout my shade gardens. I particularly like them because they are so pretty at twilight, glowing in the dark, and beautiful against the greens of foliage and lawn. I think they would be lovely in your border.

Beth,
I think it will be beautiful against the gray and the dark foundation. Impatiens is one of those never-fail annuals!
I try to do the cool colors as well - pinks, reds, purples, whites - but then end up getting baskets for Mother's Day and such which throw off the color scheme (but are most appreciated). I am starting to think Spring as well. My yard is so shady. Not to hi-jack, but any pictures of shade gardens with impatiens would be appreciated. Hint, hint, Kkay. How do you underplant?

I do big planters of all white impatiens in my shade garden. It's hard to plant because of all of the tree roots, so I use planters. The white really pops. I think it will look beautiful, especially with the dark purple.

By "underplant" I mean that I tuck impatiens in the shade garden to peek out among the hostas, astilbe, spurge, and my other shade-loving plants. They fill out, as impatiens eventually do, and the effect is lovely, a sort of wild garden effect (never in rows). White is especially nice in a shade garden, to brighten it.

I like underplanting because it eliminates the need for mulch, and you never see patches of dirt. It also discourages weeds.

Thanks, KKay. I need a whole new perspective on my garden. I have a lot of ferns, hostas, astilbe. A lot needs "rearranging". I have a very large area and am trying to get it quite maintenance free. I have decided mulch is a huge waste of money, having spent $$$ on it over the years. I am intrigued by just the one color - white. I seem to have a mish-mash of things everywhere - time to regroup.

Did you know that impatiens reseed? Let them totally die off in the winter before you take out the dead plants. You should have more the next spring.

I planted pink (a gift) when I first moved into my house. I knew nothing about gardening. I did know that I pretty much hate pink. Of course, they're the ones that reseeded.

Add a few to your planter boxes & it'll tie the two levels together.

Are you familiar with hellebores? Lenten Rose? They're evergreen. You can get them in white (and dark purple) & they blossom beginning in February. Warning, though. When they're happy? They reseed.

And don't be fooled by their shade reputation. They grow fine in shade, but I have over 30 (about 11 varieties) in absolutely full, unmitigating, harsh, 32 days over 90F, SUN. They go NUTS. But they look so nice when everything else is dead. I planted them with Nandina 'Fireball' because they go red in the winter. Both become medium/small plants. You could plant your annuals within all this color!

Just a thought. I'm a gardener w/ 3 acres I've unfortunately landscaped.

Are summers hot there? A garden of rich green foliage accented with white is so beautiful and literally feels cooler to me, and white impatiens are perfect for it. :)

I have had impatiens in the past and they do indeed reseed here in central AL. Mine at my other house used to get a couple feet high, all colors did well. Here at this house they have never done as well. Not sure why. I am gone so much that I have stopped with the annuals except pansies. You have to water the impatiens here every other day due to the ongoing drought. Too much work.

As to mulch. We solved the problem this year in a very economic way. We rake all our leaves onto pavement. DH runs the mulching mower back and forth over them to turn them to large dust. He then puts on the bag and gathers them and then puts them in a pile near the things that I need mulched. It is free and it is so pretty. Like a woodland forest. i am so much happier and more money for plants :)

I have a friend that has a ton of the white helebores and is going to let me " thin" them. They are in sun here to so they have to be rough and tough with the summers we have had the past 3 years.

I love love your bungalow !!! I look forward to seeing the white and purple...you know how I love purple !! c

Did not know that impatiens reseed. Not sure if that happens here in northern Ohio. I will check into that before I pull them all out this fall. I will look into the other plants you mentioned, Christine. Trailrunner, that is what we are going to do this year for mulch. Each year I spend $$$ buying mulch, either by the yard or in bags. It is hugely expensive and then by the end of summer, it is almost gone.
DH bought a shredder from CL for I think $100 and has started to grind up last falls' leaves. The ground up ones will be good for the composter as well.
I, too, am anxious to see Beth's flowers this summer. I love purple. The house is so very cute. I do love homes with lots that can be manicured to perfection. It is so perfect! Reminds me of my grandmother's.

I think all white would be stunning!
Also thinking I should've posted my front of the porch "decorating" question here...maybe I should do that soon.

They reseed here in MD so maybe in Ohio too. I had some that reseeded over one summer and in the fall one of my potted trees came in with a blooming impatiens added- totally volunteer. That was 3 years ago and it is still growing in the pot at work.
I love white flowers against green foliage, it is one of my favorits looks. Plus your eye doesnt pick up color in the night but it picks up the white of your flowers- really makes a difference.

Haven't read all the replies...but I always plant all-white impatiens in dark corners. Add in some 'White Christmas' Caladiums and ferns and one really gets things going!
{{!gwi}}

Did some quick doodles.

All white imps & purple petunias:

And because I love light or lime green with purple, and really love ferns on front porches, I tossed a couple of those in. ;)

mj: that bench area is simply lovely...I wanna come sit...c

Btw, there are lilac and purple impatiens. Maybe you need to visit some more nurseries.

Love the white impatiens! They really frame the house and offer a nice contrast to the beautiful purple petunias and ferns. Harmony.

I personally love 'em great idea!

And really whats the worst that can come of it? Flowers in any color? Win!

Guys, think.
The geographic location does not affect whether or not a plant reseeds. It either does or doesn't. It's when you pull them out.

I wouldn't even bother pulling them out. If you bury the dead plants under your mulch or leaves, they'll decompose by spring, leaving the seeds in the soil. You can even just turn over the soil, putting the plant part under the existing dirt.

Another thing. Quit working yourselves silly. If you have maple leaves, just put them in the garden. They'll decompose just fine. That's how you lasagna garden, anyway. You can chop them up, but why when they're going to do it themselves?

The only leaves that might need any help decomposing are oak leaves because they're rather acidic. Great for hydrangea and azaleas.

I take all my maple leaves and pile them in the gardens. Raised beds are the best. I do wet them down so they don't blow away, and have been known to throw a shovel full of mulch on them to hold them down, but chop them?
Wayyyyyy too much work and serious overkill.

But if it makes you feel better....

Moonshadow, thanks for the PS. I have been back and forth from the original post to your PS, and while either look is gorgeous, I do like the mono look. Would be stunning in a pale pink or lavender as well. Love the ferns! They are my favorite and I have them hanging from my front porch. It is so fun to watch them over the summer - they get huge! Love what KKay said - harmony --
Christine --- note my screen name! - but I keep trying. Most of what we have is oak, but do have a maple out front. I will be sure to pile those leaves in in the fall, and not just mix them with the oak. DH seems to get a kick out of running them through the shredder. Whatever! Needs a use for his toy. Anyway, I am so trying to come up with a low maintenance property. We have 1/2 acre, not a lot, but nonetheless needs maintained.
Typically, I pull everything out in the fall and clean everything up. You are saying to just leave it - even less work. I think I am going to get a couple of flats of white impatiens. Thanks for all of the help - while I didn't mean to hi-jack, this thread has been a real help.
Where is the original poster??? Let us know what you think???

CEFreeman--I think ag zone MAY have something to do with whether impatiens that come up from seed get big enough to bloom in one season. Maybe. I know that I never had imaptiens re-seed in zone 5 Ohio...but they do here in zone 7 NC. And my gardening habits haven't changed. I'm not patient enough to wait for re-seeded impatiens to bloom, either. I always add supplemental ones.

trailrunner--alas--that is an old picture. The bench is gone...done in by age and weather. I'll replace it after Mother's Day...when I have a life again. I work in a garden center...things are WILD right now.

As to lavender and purple impatiens...if you want a COLOR that glows in the evening almost as well as white...take a look at Super Elfin Impatiens 'Blue Pearl'. I find they "read" as white at night...with a lovely lavender-blue look during the day. Linked below!

Here is a link that might be useful: random flikr photo that shows Blue Pearl to advantage

I love impatiens and think the white would look lovely around your foundation but I would be very careful with the very dark purple. One year I did a very very dark purple and it just disappeared on my home. No pop of color and when looking at it from the street they were very hard to see.

I'd add more, too, if they came up small.
I was referring to the actual act of reseeding. Yes, they'll reseed. What the zone does with the seeds is another story.

If you're looking for low maintenance, definately just put the plants, kitchen biodegradable garbage, and leaves right in the garden. If anyone's husband wants to shred? Cool. Oak leaves are good, either way; I didn't mean to imply separating them. Shredding would help those decompose a tiny bit faster.

Low maintenance means never having to do extra work. :)
Look into the all-season hellebores! :)
There are a lot more plants, but with the OP's house, I thought those would be beautiful.

C.

Thanks for the clarification, Mjsee. I was thinking that as I was making some tea (should be working). The actual act of reseeding, thanks Christine, is different from what will happen. Here in Ohio by the time they came up and flowered - it might be time for frost again. I wasn't planning on separating leaves - just maybe dumping the maple ones on the back beds as we rake in the fall. Lyban, good point about the purple. I have had a few hanging baskets like that - either very small flowers or dark - couldn't even see them from a distance.

I wish I had a shredder! We have mostly oak trees...I leave the leaves on my beds most of the winter and then rake them out in the spring. We have some "natural" woods we dump them into once they've been raked out. Off to the garden center! Have a good morning all!

I'm another vote for impatiens with color. I don't think the all white look provides enough oomph against the pale grey color of your 4 square's siding. I like the PS purple hanging baskets, but I'd also look into lilac or purple impatiens. I go for the more pronounced contrast.

Do any of the other foundation plantings flower in spring/summer?

I know white is stunning in the evening, but the pink and white you have in the picture above, man, to me that is STUNNING. lol.

I've had all white before and frankly by the end of the summer I got tired of it.

My vote is for the pink and white like you did last year. :)

You definitely have a green thumb!

mj: too bad about the bench. I bet you are very busy ! I just love your garden.

As to leaves and decomposing and neatness etc. If you leave the leaves whole in the beds and they get thick up around the crown of the plant the plant rots and dies in the center. I have lost a lot of large branches of my azaleas due to this. I finally got up under/inside of the beds and cleaned them all out. I knocked out all the dead wood . You can now see sunlight filtering onto the soil under the plants. I had to wear a mask as the leaves smelled and looked full of white mold. Also they don't decompose unless you get rain. So in a 3-4 year drought the leaves and the thick newspaper of my lasagna beds is still not decomposed. And you can see/smell mildew. Still read some of the newsprint too after years...sigh.

Also I have a very small area in which to garden so if anything is not neat and tidy it looks messy not rustic. I can't have whole leaves blowing around...into the pool etc. As I said they fall so thickly that they suffocate the plants and also things won't reseed at all...rose campion and coral nymph etc if there is a thick mulch. So there you have it.

We all garden so differently. It is lovely to see/hear what others are doing. Christine I would LOVE to see pics of your 3 acres...you are so lucky !! c

Thank you all so much! I've been so busy since yesterday, I didn't have the chance to respond. But thank you so much for all the complements. I just love my house and never want to move!

I'm glad to hear that most of you like the idea of all-white. However, I'm starting to maybe change my mind on the dark purple wave petunias. I could see how they would blend into the background and not be visible from the street.

I was looking around on one of my favorite sites yesterday, and came across these from Proven Winners:

http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/detail.cfm?photoID=8941&page=1&searchKeywords=supertunia&_=1303401616457

I just LOVE yellow. It's my favorite color. I've never seen petunias in yellow before. I have a feeling that they will not be easy to find in my area. But this is a possibility instead of the purple. Or, I might do a lighter purple like this one:

http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/detail.cfm?photoID=6133

Or a mix of dark/light and white like this:
http://www.pwcertified.com/photolib/MediumJPG/PFWildThings.jpg

Thank you for the complements! I do have to say I get lots of complements on my flowers every year. Nothing feels better than when people out walking will slow down and comment on my house! When I see that, it makes my day.

It's funny that one of you mentioned ferns. I have done ferns before (one summer), and loved them, and I'm planning on two ferns this summer. The only problem with ferns is that I had a bird build a nest in one. Not something that would bother me, except for the surprise of them flying out as I was walking out my front door. I thought my mail carrier would fall up my front steps when one flew out when he was delivering!

So, I'm going to do some shopping around. There aren't too many nurseries around this area with much variety....that's the problem.

I'm in the process of two other big projects right now...sanding/staining the steps and my upstairs hallway (so I'll have almost all hardwoods), and painting my LR/stairwell/upstairs hallway in a hot chocolate color (can't remember the name right now - it's from Lowes). Busy time!

I also plant a lot in our backyard, which gets mostly sun, so I can do more back there.

Thank you all for your opinions! And thank you for the picture of the Blue Pearl impatiens. They are beautiful, and I might have to consider them.

Beth

I'm sorry my links didn't work. :(

I have a green thumb outdoors, but for the life of me I cannot grow a Petunia. What is your secret? I've done pots and put them in the ground and they just get spindly even when I cut them back. sniff.

ooh, look at this window box! Lobelia is becoming something I think I'll have to get. This window box is beautiful.

Here is a link that might be useful: box

Your house is beautiful with the colored impatiens but I think the white will be stunning!

I have absolutely no green thumb so this may be a silly question but...can you plant the seeds directly into the ground or do you have to do trays to start them inside and then transfer them individually?

I'd love to do that at our house but I wouldn't even know where to start!!

Thank you in advance for any helpful hints!

Cath -yes, you can start from seeds. When posters above are talking about reseeding, that is exactly what happens. Seeds from the prior year "volunteer" and come up and grow. You can also start from seeds indoors. I have tried and tried that - have never had success.
You may be able to plant directly outdoors depending on your growing season - I don't know how long it would take from seed to established flowering plant -- but here in Ohio our growing season is very short ---- so I just go to the nursery and buy flats of established plants. Much easier and fail-safe. Others from different growing zones may have different ideas for you.

I pinch off stems of my impatiens and put them in water indoors for a few days. They send out roots, and then I put those in the ground. Before long, they are large, robust plants. A cheap way to make impatiens go around. I have lots of big shade beds, so this is a way to economize. Because I scatter them around and tuck them under larger plants, the fact that the plants are different sizes and different stages of growth doesn't matter at all.

oakleyoak--petunias need some sun and pretty regular feeding with miracle grow or something similar. Also--if they get too hot they wimp out...so if you live in a hot ag zone they might benefit from a little shade at the hottest part of the day. It becomes a tough dance if one lives in zone 7 or higher...too much shade and they don't bloom...too much sun and they fry...

The Wave petunias and the Supertunias seem to handle the heat better.

Kay, thanks for the tip. I am sure you have a longer season than we do - but still a great way to add a few more and extend the ones I buy.

I love the idea of an all white border but for me it would have to have texture and shades of white to give depth and interest.
I would choose plants for their foliage, various shapes from large broad leaves to small narrow fern-like ones and growing to differing heights and of differing shades of green. The flowers also would be varied in size and shape and would naturally vary in shades of white from blue whites to creamy, almost yellow whites. Whatever your zone I don't think it would be difficult to find easy to grow foliage plants and white flowering plants.
I think monochrome can be beautiful but only if there is texture and contrast.