Busy lizzie
Plant in a spot out of midday sun and water in well; it is a tender perennial treated as a summer annual, so the first frost ends it outdoors.
Care
Part shade — one of the few bedding plants that flowers well out of full sun; hot midday sun wilts it.
Medium-high — the soft, sappy stems collapse quickly when dry. In pots and baskets check daily in summer.
Moist, fertile, humus-rich soil or a good peat-free multipurpose compost.
No real pruning. Pinch back leggy stems in midsummer to keep plants bushy; the flowers drop cleanly so deadheading is optional.
A liquid feed for flowering plants every two weeks in pots and baskets, less often in open ground. Too rich a feed gives leaves at the expense of flowers.
Soft tip cuttings root in a glass of water in a couple of weeks. Seed is very fine and needs light and steady warmth to germinate, so most people buy young plants.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MayPlant out only once frost risk has passed and nights stay mild. how ›
- JulyWater pots and baskets daily in warm weather; don't let them flag. how ›
- AugustKeep feeding every two weeks to carry flowering into autumn. how ›
- OctoberTake cuttings to overwinter indoors before the first frost blackens the plants. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilPlant out only once frost risk has passed and nights stay mild. how ›
- JulyWater pots and baskets daily in warm weather; don't let them flag. how ›
- AugustKeep feeding every two weeks to carry flowering into autumn. how ›
- OctoberTake cuttings to overwinter indoors before the first frost blackens the plants. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilPlant out only once frost risk has passed and nights stay mild. how ›
- JulyWater pots and baskets daily in warm weather; don't let them flag. how ›
- AugustKeep feeding every two weeks to carry flowering into autumn. how ›
- NovemberTake cuttings to overwinter indoors before the first frost blackens the plants. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchPlant out only once frost risk has passed and nights stay mild. how ›
- JulyWater pots and baskets daily in warm weather; don't let them flag. how ›
- AugustKeep feeding every two weeks to carry flowering into autumn. how ›
- NovemberTake cuttings to overwinter indoors before the first frost blackens the plants. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Leaves yellow and curl, with white fuzz underneath, then drop, leaving bare stems.
What to do. Remove and bin affected plants and don't replant walleriana in the same bed; New Guinea types are resistant.
How to spot it. Plants collapse by afternoon and recover in the evening.
What to do. Too much sun or too little water — move pots to part shade and water more deeply.
How to spot it. Clusters on shoot tips and under leaves.
What to do. Squash or wash off; encourage predators.
Questions
Busy lizzie: is it hardy?
H1b: Tender, needs above 10°C. It survives above 10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — ideal for shady pots, window boxes and hanging baskets.
Busy lizzie: when do you prune it?
No real pruning.
Busy lizzie: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–October.
When do you feed it?
A liquid feed for flowering plants every two weeks in pots and baskets, less often in open ground. Too rich a feed gives leaves at the expense of flowers. Feeding months, UK: June–September.