Try pixie impatiens

Are the Pixie's shorter than Dwarf's like Tom Thumb?

Thanks

Try superelfin, they have always stayed very close to the ground for us (e.g more like a ground cover). Also, accent impatiens we also have good experiences with (Tempo's tend to get bigger for example).

Three things which will materially affect the final height:
- closeness of planting
- amount of ammonium in fertilizer (and level of fertilizer)
- amount of phosphorus

Try to space the plants adequately, e.g. 12-18" apart. wider spacing gives lower growing plants.
- avoid very high levels of fertilizer including osmocote, nutricote, etc.

I recommend using a 0-10-10 to fertilize the plants and then supplement with a few very diluted 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 on occation. Too much nitrogen, and especially too much ammoniacal nitrogen (which is the primary in most fertilizers available to home gardeners) can lead to streching.

thanks kdj, lots of good advise.

I may be wrong here, but "Tom Thumb" is a variety of BALSAM (Impatiens balsamina), not the traditional Impatiens wallerania. Big difference between the two!

Are the short variety generally available at HD or garden stores or do you need to plant them from seeds?

Many of the bedding types are easy to find in the garden centers. Impatiens balsamina you would have to start my seed which is very easy hence it being in cultivation for over 2000 years.

Where can you by balsamina seeds?