Is it safe to again plant impatiens? I live in South Jersey.
Answer
The historic date for the last frost is April 15 for our zone, Zone 6. You are in Cherry Hill, New Jersey which is Zone 6 thus after April 15 you are safe to plant Impatiens.
If you are asking about whether or not planting Impatiens is safe to do, given our recent problems with Downy Mildew, here is what we could find online: it seems that bedding Impatiens walleriana, the ones we normally use that have been sick for 2-3 years, still is not to be used in beds where the disease has been, The nurseries that produce this Impatiens are getting some control of the disease, but if the organism is in your soil already, you risk growing sick plants again. That said, there are two rather new Impatiens, Sunpatiens, which is more sun tolerant and highly resistant to Downy Mildew, and Bounce Impatiens which is supposedly resistant and not affected by Downy Mildew. I would guess that these two are safer to use until the disease is completely out of our soils and the nurseries. We will see.