Getting Impatient with Disease Prone Impatiens? Try Browallia Instead!

by | Aug 12, 2019 | annuals, Container Gardening, Fertilizer, Watering

As an unabashed plant enthusiast who’s been experimenting with new plant introductions (some not really “new”, just new to me) in his own landscape, and his parent’s yard before that (sorry guys for the ‘Charmed Wine’ Oxalis that now pops up unwanted every spring) for nearly two decades now, at this point I’m pretty hard to impress.  However, last year Andrea Schnapp, a UF/IFAS Walton County Master Gardener, introduced me to a newish plant that has since changed the way I choose plants to color shady pots and planting beds, a little native of tropical South America called Bush Violet (Browallia spp.), specifically the hybrid ‘Endless Illumination’.

Browallia ‘Endless Illumination’ on the author’s back porch.

For decades, the standard bedding plant for color in the shade in the Deep South has been Impatiens walleriana.  However, in the last few years, a new disease called Impatiens Downy Mildew has wreaked habit on the bedding plant species, virtually eliminating it as a serious player in the horticulture industry.  Fortunately, the fine folks at Proven Winners introduced ‘Endless Illumination’ a couple of years ago to fill the niche formerly occupied by old-fashioned Impatiens.  And boy, is ‘Endless Illumination’ aptly named.  The unending masses of star shaped flowers are an absolutely brilliant purple hue that does indeed light up shady areas in the landscape.  I’ve encountered few plants put forth such a proliferous display of flowers for as long of a time as this Browallia selection has, and it doesn’t even require deadheading!

Browallia ‘Endless Illumination’ flowers.

In addition to having one of the more striking color displays of any bedding plant, Browallia happens to be a vigorous grower with an extremely hardy constitution.  I’ve found ‘Endless Illumination’s mature size as listed on the sales tag as being a little conservative, instead of the 16” tall x 14” wide stated, my samples have consistently grown more than the 16” listed in height and doubled the width, no complaints here as this just means more flowers!  And though my experience with Browallia has strictly been in containers so far, it has weathered heat and bounced back from drought like a champ.  It’s not super important to know that the container it occupies is sited under my back porch roof and therefore is subjected to human induced drought by my forgetting to water it, good performance in droughty conditions is good performance in droughty conditions!  Finally, Browallia requires the bare minimum of fertilizer to thrive.  A good topdressing of a slow-release fertilizer (rates according to the product’s label, of course) at planting and an identical refresher dose mid-summer have induced great performance and no noticeable nutrient deficiencies.

Browallia ‘Endless Illumination’ flowers

A quick note before we adjourn, when perusing nurseries next spring for Browallia, you’ll likely encounter the sister cultivar of ‘Endless Illumination’ with white flowers, named ‘Endless Flirtation’.  I’d encourage you to stick with the purple flowers of ‘Endless Illumination’ as I’ve found, through personal growing experience and anecdotes from other growers, ‘Endless Flirtation’ to be noticeably fussier than and not nearly as attractive as its sister plant.

Sometimes, the misfortunes of one plant are a merely an opportunity for another plant to claim its place in the flower bed.  Browallia ‘Endless Illumination’ has taken the spot occupied by Impatiens walleriana and quickly become a garden favorite.  Look for this awesome little annual in garden centers next spring!  And remember, if you have any questions about this newly introduced plant or any other horticultural topic, please contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office!  Happy gardening!

 

Daniel J. Leonard
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