Impatiens tinctoria

This huge busy lizzie makes a rounded mound of fleshy foliage to over 2m tall and will flower from late summer until the frosts of winter draw the show to a close. It has large, exotic-looking, night-scented, white flowers, each with a maroon mark. The flowers have the most interesting spur – the long, nectar-filled tube that emerges from the flower – that can be up to 10cm long. It is a hardy tuberous perennial although it is wise to insulate the crown during the winter months with a thick mulch in colder regions of the UK. Feed in spring.

Height 2m. Origin Eastern Africa. Conditions Any rich soil not too dry; full sun. Hardiness RHS H3, USDA 7b-11. Season Summer – autumn.