Field, researchers and plant breeders all over the world are working very hard to find or create disease resistant strains of Impatiens. The development of new cultivars takes a very long time since field testing can't be rushed. Once the testing has been completed, it will take a long time to build up enough propagation stock that the plants can be introduced to the world's market place. I'm sure that most of the major seed houses are hot on the track. It will be interesting to see what comes out in the future. Keep Googling for disease resistant impatiens; I expect that we'll begin seeing some worthy of trying pretty soon. I strongly suspect that the new Impatiens may be a hybrid and might

Maude, I echo the advice you've already been given here, assuming we are talking about traditional impatiens--i. walleriana, or New Guinea impatiens, both of which are shade lovers. There is a relatively new kind of impatiens that could work well with roses, however. Called Sunpatiens, they are, as the name suggests, sun tolerant, even sun-loving, depending on what climate you're in. Here in hot and dry southern California, they survive in full sun, but do better with morning sun/afternoon shade (much like sun tolerant coleus, or dark red roses). In places where the summers are a bit less severe, they would probably do fine in the same full sun that most roses enjoy. Color range is not as full as for other kinds of impatiens, but there are enough choices to complement a wide variety of rose colorations. (I'm partial to the blush pink.) In terms of where to find them, I've seen them everywhere, including Home Depot and Lowe's. They are also available from several large mail order nurseries, including Garden Crossings and Romence. Kay Here is a link that might be useful: Sunpatiens info

Thanks for all those photos Silvia. I really appreciate the input. The violas are really so very sweet and you can't help but smile when you see them (a quote from my 4 yr old daughter) As far as the SunHosta, just by weird chance, I linked up to a local grower in Naples "American Farms" on Facebook. Holy moly they have some beautiful plants and a CROP of hosta growing. All their pics are amazing. Crenda, those stones will give off a lot of heat. I had luck with them around my palms where they get a tiny amount of shade but lots of air flow. The ones labeled "SunPatiens" did much better than the New Guinea Impatiens (which actually did say part shade). I got my 10 Amazon Dianthus in this morning and I LOVE THEM! :) Back to surf the American Farms photos and see what to look for next :) Oh and they have that Lady Phlox I mentioned above too, stating Phlox for florida! :) Here's their crop of SunHosta

Cyndita, I kind of wondered about the fertilizer. I bought Bumper Crop rose food from a local garden center and used it when I potted a Scentimental rose. However, I put it at the bottom of the container so it isn't in direct contact with the roots. I had planned to stick with fish emulsion for the first year and then expand next year. Thanks for all your insight. I have a feeling our water bill is going to jump this year, although right now we're doing well with the rain. vaporvact, I did indeed go to Big Lots and found the blue container on the red stand in the second picture. The thing I got there that I like better are the two puppies statue in the rose bed. We had a basset named Droopy that we had to put down last Labor Day weekend, and so the rose bed is a tribute to her and the other dogs we've owned.