From Tiny Seeds to Old-Fashioned Summer Flowers
A friendly guide to sowing, growing and enjoying Impatiens balsamina in Hungary.
Come Into the Garden With Me...
Today, we're growing balsam - the old-fashioned garden flower, not the balsamic vinegar.
Its botanical name is Impatiens balsamina, and the Camellia Flowered form is exactly what the name promises: upright plants carrying full, rose- or camellia-like flowers close along the stems.
The colours can be wonderfully cheerful - pink, rose, red, salmon, violet and white - and the plants have the slightly nostalgic look of something you might have found in a grandmother's summer garden.
Balsam is an annual. We sow it in spring, enjoy it through summer, let a few seed pods ripen if we want next year's seeds, and then the first real frost ends the season.
It also has one of the most entertaining seed-saving tricks in the garden. When a ripe pod is touched, it can spring open and fling its seeds away. That is why balsam is sometimes called touch-me-not.
For Hungarian gardeners, it is a useful flower because it likes warmth, can take full sun or some afternoon shade, and appreciates soil that stays evenly moist without becoming waterlogged.
By the end of this little book, you'll know exactly when to sow it, how to raise sturdy seedlings, where to plant it, how much to water, what can go wrong and how to collect those explosive little seeds.
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GOOD TO KNOW Camellia Flowered balsam is Impatiens balsamina, not the shade-loving bedding impatiens commonly sold for window boxes. It is taller, more upright and much happier with a sunny garden position if the soil does not dry out completely. |
1. Meet Camellia Flowered Balsam
Balsam has been grown in gardens for generations. Camellia Flowered strains are especially loved because many of the blooms are double or semi-double, giving them a fuller, almost miniature-camellia appearance.
The flowers grow from the leaf axils along the main stems rather than sitting only at the very top. This means the plant can look almost studded with colour once it reaches full bloom.
How big does it get?
Most Camellia Flowered balsam grows roughly 45-75 cm tall, depending on the strain and conditions. Give each plant room to branch and don't crowd them tightly together.
Annual, but enthusiastic
Balsam finishes its life cycle in one season, but it can self-sow where ripe seed pods are allowed to burst. In a happy garden you may find volunteer seedlings appearing the following spring.
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A COMMON MISTAKE Confusing balsam with ordinary bedding impatiens. Both belong to Impatiens, but Impatiens balsamina is an upright annual grown from seed and performs well in full sun to part shade. |
2. Find the Right Place
Balsam likes warmth, but it also likes moisture. That combination is the key to choosing the right position in Hungary.
Sun or shade?
Full sun works well where the soil holds reasonable moisture. In a very hot Budapest courtyard or a south-facing garden on the Great Hungarian Plain, a little afternoon shade can reduce stress during the hottest part of the day.
Too much deep shade, however, can produce softer, leggier plants with fewer flowers.
Soil
Aim for fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Balsam enjoys more moisture than many drought-loving annuals, but its roots still need air. A permanently soggy bed is not the answer.
Containers
You can grow balsam in larger pots, but choose containers with enough root space and proper drainage holes. Pots dry faster than garden soil, so summer watering will need more attention.
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WHAT I WOULD DO In a hot Hungarian garden, I'd choose morning sun with some late-afternoon relief, then mulch lightly around the plants after the soil has warmed. That helps moisture last longer without keeping the crown wet. |
3. The Camellia Flowered Look
This is usually sold as a mixture, and that is part of the fun. One packet may produce flowers in rose, salmon, pink, scarlet, violet and white.
Not every bloom will be equally double. Seed-grown heirloom strains naturally show some variation, and I think that makes the planting more interesting rather than less successful.
How to use the colours
For a soft garden, combine the pinks, salmon shades and white with cosmos or pale zinnias. For something stronger, let the deep red and violet balsams stand beside marigolds, amaranth or dark-leaved plants.
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GROW WITH US Camellia Flowered balsam is the kind of seed packet that suits this series perfectly: one small packet, many plants and a whole summer of slightly different flowers. Sow yours, and we'll see which colour becomes your favourite. |
4. Let's Sow
Balsam is sensitive to frost, so we don't rush it outdoors in Hungary.
Starting indoors
You can start seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before your expected last frost. Sow into moist seed compost and cover the seeds only lightly. Keep them warm and evenly moist while they germinate.
Direct sowing
You can also sow directly outside once frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed. In much of Hungary, that means waiting until spring has genuinely settled rather than trusting one unusually warm week in April.
Light and moisture
Once seedlings appear, give them plenty of light. Keep the compost gently moist, but don't leave trays sitting permanently in water.
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DON'T PANIC The first seedlings do not look remotely like camellias. Give them time. At this stage our only job is to raise short, sturdy plants with healthy roots. |
5. From Seedling to Garden Plant
When seedlings are large enough to handle, thin or pot them on so each plant has room to develop.
Hardening off
Before planting outside, gradually introduce indoor-raised plants to wind, direct sun and cooler nights over about a week. Balsam likes warmth and should not be planted out while frost is still a realistic threat.
Spacing
Around 25-30 cm between plants is a useful starting point for many Camellia Flowered strains. Good spacing gives the stems room to branch and improves airflow.
Water the young plants in well, then keep an eye on soil moisture while roots establish.
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TRY THIS Plant balsam in a small group rather than as isolated single plants. A drift of mixed pink, salmon, white and red flowers has far more impact than one lonely stem at the back of a border. |
6. Growing Through a Hungarian Summer
Watering
Balsam is not a plant I would leave bone-dry for long periods. During hot Hungarian summer weather, check the soil regularly and water deeply when the upper layer begins to dry.
Containers may need water much more often than plants in the ground. Always check first rather than watering by habit.
Feeding
In decent garden soil, balsam usually needs only modest feeding. Container plants can benefit from a balanced or flowering-plant feed used according to the label.
Pinching and support
If seedlings are becoming very tall and unbranched, a light pinch while young can encourage bushier growth. In exposed gardens, taller plants may appreciate support before summer storms arrive.
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GOOD TO KNOW Balsam is happier with even moisture than drought. If the leaves suddenly droop on a hot afternoon, check the soil. A thirsty plant can recover quickly after a proper drink - but don't assume every wilt means water if the soil is already wet. |
7. When Something Goes Wrong
Leggy plants
Too little light is the first thing I would investigate. Crowding and excessive nitrogen can also produce soft, stretched growth.
Yellow leaves and poor growth
Check drainage and watering. Roots that remain saturated can struggle just as much as roots left too dry.
Aphids and other sap feeders
Tender tips and buds can attract aphids. Check regularly and deal with small colonies early. If a product is needed, use one currently authorised for the intended use in Hungary and follow its label.
Fungal trouble
Crowded plants, wet foliage and stagnant air can encourage disease. Give plants room, water the soil where possible and remove badly affected material.
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A COMMON MISTAKE Planting balsam in a very dry, baking position simply because it tolerates sun. Sun is fine. Chronic drought is not. Think warm, bright and evenly moist. |
8. Flowers Along the Stems
Once flowering begins, balsam becomes one of those plants you suddenly notice from across the garden.
The blooms appear close against the stems between the leaves, giving the plant its distinctive old-fashioned look.
For cutting
Balsam can be cut for small summer arrangements. Choose fresh stems with several flowers open and more buds still developing, and place them into clean water quickly.
For the garden
If you want the longest tidy display, remove tired flowers where practical. If you want seed, however, allow some flowers to finish and form pods.
Pollinator visitors
Balsam flowers can attract bees and other garden visitors. Double flowers may be less accessible than simple ones, so a mixed garden with plenty of open-flowered species gives insects the best choice.
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TRY THIS Look closely at where the flowers sit. Balsam is very different from a daisy or cosmos. The colour runs up the stems, which makes it especially effective planted where you can walk past and see the flowers at close range. |
9. The Exploding Seed Pods
Now we come to the entertaining part.
After pollination, balsam develops seed capsules. As they ripen, these become highly sensitive. Touch a fully ripe pod and it can split suddenly, curling back and throwing the seeds away from the plant.
That is the reason behind the common name touch-me-not.
How to save seed without losing it
Watch the pods as they swell. When they are mature but before they have already burst, hold a small paper bag or envelope around the pod and gently touch it. If it is ready, the seeds will fall safely into your hand or bag instead of disappearing into the flower bed.
Will it self-seed?
It can. If you leave pods to burst naturally, new seedlings may appear the following season where winters and spring conditions allow the seed to survive.
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DON'T PANIC A seed pod exploded in your fingers? Congratulations. You have officially met balsam properly. |
10. Your Balsam Cheat Sheet
1. Botanical name: Impatiens balsamina.
2. Camellia Flowered is an old-fashioned annual with full, often double blooms.
3. Grow in full sun to part shade.
4. Choose fertile, well-drained soil that does not dry out constantly.
5. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost, or direct sow after frost danger has passed.
6. Cover seed only lightly and keep the sowing evenly moist.
7. Give seedlings strong light.
8. Harden off indoor-raised plants before planting out.
9. Space roughly 25-30 cm apart.
10. Water regularly during hot, dry Hungarian weather.
11. Do not leave roots permanently waterlogged.
12. Feed modestly; too much nitrogen can mean soft growth.
13. Check for aphids and fungal problems.
14. Enjoy flowers through summer.
15. Let some flowers make pods if you want seed.
16. Catch ripe pods before they fling their seeds across the garden.
17. Expect the first hard frost to finish the plants.
18. Save dry seed for next spring - or let a few pods self-sow.
If You Remember Only Five Things...
1. Warm, yes. Bone dry, no.
Balsam enjoys summer warmth but performs best with reliable moisture.
2. Wait until frost has passed.
This is a tender annual. Hungarian spring can still surprise us.
3. Give it some sun.
Full sun to part shade gives the best balance of sturdy growth and flowers.
4. Do not crowd it.
Airflow and space make stronger, healthier plants.
5. Save at least one seed pod.
The first time it pops open in your hand, you'll understand why people remember this flower.
One Last Walk Around the Garden
We began with seeds small enough to disappear into a packet. By summer, they had become upright plants carrying little camellia-like flowers along their stems.
We learned that balsam isn't the same as the familiar bedding impatiens, that it likes warmth without wanting to be parched, and that a little afternoon shade can be useful in the hottest Hungarian gardens.
Then came the flowers - pink, salmon, white, red and violet - followed by those extraordinary seed pods waiting for the slightest touch.
And next spring, if you've saved a little envelope of seed, you can do the whole thing again.
Perhaps you'll sow more colours. Perhaps you'll let a few plants self-seed. Perhaps balsam will become one of those old-fashioned flowers that quietly earns a permanent place in your summer garden.
That's how gardens grow: one plant, one season and one small discovery at a time.
When you're ready for the next one...
Come into the garden with me.
