Is Garden Balsam deer resistant?
Impatiens balsamina
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Garden Balsam
An old cottage annual with flowers held tight against the stem, often half hidden by the leaves, which is why it fell out of fashion. The ripe seed pods burst at a touch and fling seed several feet, giving the genus its name. Self-sows readily.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- High
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Deer-resistant alternatives to Garden Balsam
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Garden Balsam keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Garden Balsam
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual GeraniumPelargonium x hortorumGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- ColeusColeus sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- CosmosCosmos sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- DahliaDahlia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Garden PetuniaPetunia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Gerbera DaisyGerbera jamesoniiGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
Protecting Garden Balsam
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Garden Balsam grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Garden Balsam belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Garden Balsam
- Is Garden Balsam deer resistant?
- Garden Balsam (Impatiens balsamina) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Garden Balsam grow in?
- Garden Balsam is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Garden Balsam grow in shade?
- Yes. Garden Balsam tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Garden Balsam get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–30 in. Growth rate is fast.