When to plant and prune Busy lizzie
Busy lizzie flowers from mid June to early October and the dates below cover planting and flowering.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Busy lizzie is frost-tender, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late April to early May | mid June to early October |
| South Coast and Channel | early May to mid May | mid June to early October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late April to early May | mid June to early October |
| South East and Home Counties | mid May to late May | mid June to early October |
| East Anglia | late May to early June | mid June to early October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late May to mid June | mid June to early October |
| Wales and West Coast | mid May to late May | mid June to early October |
| Northern England | early June to mid June | mid June to early October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid June to late June | mid June to early October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early July to mid July | mid June to early October |
| Northern Ireland | late May to early June | mid June to early October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | mid April to early May | mid June to early October |
Growing notes
Treated as a single-season bedding plant: harden off and plant out only when night temperatures stay above 7C, usually late May or early June, and expect frost to kill it in autumn. One of the very few reliable bedding plants for part to full shade, flowering from early summer to autumn. Impatiens downy mildew is the big risk - it causes yellowing then rapid collapse and leaf drop, and Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea) hybrids are unaffected, so use those where the disease has struck before. Double-flowered bedding busy lizzies offer virtually nothing to pollinators.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 25 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 35 cm
- Eventual spread
- 30 cm
- Hardiness
- H2
- Sun
- Shade tolerant
- Frost tender
- Yes
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 5 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Feeding
Potassium-rich liquid feed every couple of weeks for plants in pots, baskets and window boxes.
Pruning group
Deadheading is not usually needed - spent flowers drop cleanly of their own accord
Winter protection
Tender - killed by frost. Usually composted at the end of the season and replaced with fresh plants each spring rather than overwintered.
What usually goes wrong
- Impatiens downy mildew
- killed by the first frost
- slugs and snails
- collapse if compost dries out
- aphids under glass
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for busy lizzie.