Busy Lizzies are back … without the risk!

BANBURY, UK: New Impatiens Beacon, bred by PanAmerican Seed® and distributed in the UK by Ball Colegrave, offers high resistance to Plasmopara obducens, the cause of Impatiens downy mildew.

Ball Colegrave is thrilled to re-launch Impatiens to the UK horticultural industry. Impatiens Beacon™ offers season-long performance and brings back fast-filling colour to the garden … without the disease risk! Since the widespread outbreak of impatiens downy mildew some years ago, many growers and retailers hesitated to stock this key bedding plant and home gardeners have been mourning the loss of a much-loved garden favourite.

Now, through devoted breeding efforts and collaboration that has spanned the globe, our sister breeding company PanAmerican Seed has developed Beacon™ a new impatiens that is highly resistant to downy mildew. “Growers, retailers and home gardeners have been waiting for the chance to bring impatiens back…without the risk”, says Sandy Shepherd, Ball Colegrave MD. “Plant structure, flowering time and flower size is similar to existing Impatiens series, so Beacon™ is easy to incorporate into production planning, says Stuart Lowen, Ball Colegrave Marketing Manager. “There’s no special plant culture required for Beacon™ to be successful. So, for lasting colour in the garden, you can rely on Beacon™ to thrive”.

BEACON IMPATIENS

In the spirit of bringing light – and happiness – back to gardens all over the world, a donation of a portion of Beacon™ Impatiens global sales will be made to The OI Foundation. This is a less widely known charitable organization which sets out to improve the quality of life for those living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic bone disorder characterized by fragile bones that break easily, also known as brittle bone disease.

Beacon™ Impatiens will have its UK debut at the 2019 Ball Colegrave Summer Showcase (July 15 – August 2). There are currently 6 core colours; Bright Red, Coral, Orange, Salmon, Violet Shades, White and a mix in the series. A limited supply is available now, with full availability in January 2020. Please contact your sales representative for details.