SUNPATIENS

Hello everyone,

I live in Brazil and am doing some research into disease resistance in the new garden plant Sunpatiens (Impatiens walleriana x Impatiens hawkeri). We have a problem here in Brazil which I am attempting to narrow down. The leaves of the plants curl up at the sides (not at the tip) and they fail to thrive. Death is slow but usually occurs after between 1 or 2 months after onset, though some plants survive and even continue to flower. I would like to know if anyone in England growing Sunpatiens has had this problem. I don't want to show a picture as I don't want people to think there is a specific form of this disease, in fact it can affect different plants in different ways. It is NOT the same as Downy Mildew.

We would very much appreciate input from Britain as the climate is different to here and we want to find out which (if any) environmental factors are contributing. At the moment we have an open mind as to whether it is fungal – it is known that Impatiens family is very susceptible to fungal disease – or bacterial. Please note that we specifically want information about the hybrid Sunpatiens not the common Busy Lizzy or New Guinea hybrid. If you are not sure which plant you have grown just send a picture anyway if you have one. We can usually tell the difference.

We are also interested in 'nil returns' ie. if you have grown Sunpatiens but never had any disease problem, also please let us know.

Thanks.

Ian.