Maybe they're not in season? I was actually out near Flower World but unfortunately they didn't have any. I'll check out Keeping it Green.

Thanks!

Unless grown in a greenhouse, I would not consider them to be in season now. They are fully herbaceous and somewhat frost sensitive and I would generally not expect to see signs of life until late March at the earliest and not for sale in area nurseries until somewhat later after they fluff out and fill in......maybe May??

I am very surprised to see mine pushing new growth already but then I live in a very mild microclimate location and the weather here has been rather balmy all winter. I still have cuphea and zonal geraniums in bloom :-)

This always seems to me to be the best time to plant, while things have a few months of rain to root in, but my opinion is apparently not widely shared as it always seems hard to find plants. Keeping it Green has several varieties of Impatiens omeiana for $12/pot (not sure what size pot, though, or what shipping runs). Does that sound like a reasonable price, or should I hold onto my pennies until they're "in season" and I can grab some locally?

The problem with selling herbaceous perennials now is that most are still fully dormant and it's difficult to entice shoppers to purchase what looks to be an empty pot :-)

This is not an overly rare plant or the slightest bit hard to propagate so $12 seems high to me for a gallon (and I wouldn't consider it at all for anything smaller!) Mine was shared with me by a gardening friend

Ok I'll hold out and see if I can find any locally, or in a couple months. I don't really know any local gardeners, so the best I manage is propagating what I already have on my property, plus seeds from the occasional friend who has a passion for a single plant or two. Hopefully the frittalaria seeds my friend gave me will sprout. I think that's my only new one for the year.

This whole "only selling plants when they're pretty" thing is why I end up hand watering a raft of pots on my porch every summer, waiting for the rainy season to plant them out. I suppose it's also how I get such great end-of-season deals, too, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. :)

Ours are just poking up now. We live in the foothills and have found them to be very hardy. They will wilt at frost, but they always come back the next year. We even had some that was planted at the base of some bamboo. We had the bamboo removed by a track hoe and at the time we didn't see any of them. Somehow the year after these omeiana sprouted. To get rid of the bamboo we dug out about 2 feet deep, and still they came back, but thankfully not the bamboo.

It was your post that inspired me to get some in. It sounds like the perfect solution for a couple areas in my garden - particularly under my giant rhododendrons where it's almost impossible to dig into the ground due to all the rhody roots. I'm thinking i can slide in some small pieces and they will root themselves in and create a nice groundcover.

I should add that it's been our experience they like moisture. If it's dry under the rhodies I'd go with something like Epimedium. I'm pretty sure the dense roots of the bamboo is what stifled the omeiana. One of our patches gets a bit too much afternoon sun (especially since one of the big leaf maples lost a major branch) and they get wilty. We put out our big umbrella when it gets sunny.

Rhododendrons with their densely sod-like heath family roots are not suitable for direct under-planting with growing plants needing planting holes to be dug.

Yes I noticed that when I couldn't get bulbs in. From what I've read, Impatiens omeiana will grow from a small piece of rhizome, like daylilies. That I think I can get into the ground. Certainly ivy and morning glory grow under there, so the rhodies aren't choking everything out

Theres a stream running past the rhodies year-round, so I think there should be enough moisture. If not I can find a place for them in my woodland garden. I have everything from consistently moist ground to bog back there due to natural springs.

Consistently moist is good for the impatiens......not so much for the rhodies. If you wish to underplant your rhodies, then I'd consider Oxalis oregana or hardy cyclamen. Both like the same cultural conditions as the rhodies and will spread well on their own without disrupting the root system. Hardy cyclamen and rhododendrons make an excellent partnership!!

Well the rhodies have been happy there for likely 50 years or more considering their size (20'-30' or so). I'll have a look at hardy cyclamens though. Thanks!