Garden Balsams are also known by other names such as Touch Me Not,Impatient Balsamina,Jewel Weed,Ladies Slippers,Rose Balsam,Spotted Snapweed,Policeman's helmet and Jumping Betty.They are native to India and Burma.Garden Balsams are flowering annuals.Garden Balsams can be easily grown in pots or containers.Garden Balsams are a perfect addition to any garden as they add color and look vibrant. Such is the beauty of Garden Balsams that were used to landscape gardens during Victorian times.Garden Balsams are easy to grow and they reseed easily.
Garden Balsams plants grow upright with slender juicy stems the leaves are long and saw tooth shaped,the flowers bloom close to leaf axis near the stem.Once the flower blooms and drops of a seed pod forms,when the pod is fully ripe the slightest of touch makes it bursts open thereby scattering its seeds in all directions hence the name Touch me not.They come in an array of colors such as pink,peach,red,orange red,white,yellow and purple.Bi-colored varieties are also available.Garden Balsams can be single petal or double petaled.The double petaled variety of Garden Balsam gives it the appearance of a rose hence the name Rose Balsam.
Garden Balsams can be grown from seeds,if grown from seed sow the seeds mid April,you will see that the seeds sprout within 6 days however it takes at least 60 days for the plant to completely grow and flower,so plan and plant accordingly.Garden Balsams plants can also be bought from the nursery and transplanted.
Garden Balsams are best grown from seeds although they can also be propagated by stem cuttings .Use rich moist soil to sow the seeds.
Garden Balsams do well in full to partial sun or partial shade.When grown in pots or containers make sure the soil remains moist at all times but not waterlogged.Garden Balsams get infected by powdery mildew and leaf miners.
Garden Balsams are beneficial as they attract a lot of pollinators like the bees,nectar feeding birds and butterflies love them.They can make even the dullest of gardens look like granduer making them come alive with their vibrant colored flowers.Growing them can be such a delight.Most of the times if you grow different colored garden balsams together you will find the bees cross pollinate them the next season you will find a new color of balsam like I did.
Garden Balsams are used in traditional and folk medicine.In Vietnam the women use the juice of the leaves to color their hair and to also make it grow long.Juice of the leaves are used to treat snake and insect bites.The flowers are applied to cool burns.A paste of the flowers and leaves when applied on fingers and left to dry overnight gives a bright orange color similar to henna.If you soak the roots of the plant in colored water the next morning you will see the plant has changed it color to that of the water.Kids will love this plant a lot.
Garden Balsams are easy to grow and low in maintenance.Collect the seed pods before they burst, label and store them in a ziplock bag in cool dark place so that you can use them in the garden the next growing season.
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