Garden Q & A: Balsam can be grown in Northeast Florida with little effort

My grandmother raised something she called balsam. I recently spotted it on a seed catalog's site online. Can we grow it here?

Balsam, known scientifically as Impatiens balsamina, is a gift from another time. In Victorian times, it was called snap weed, touch-me-not and jumping Betty. It's not at all dangerous; the colorful names refer to the plant's seed pods. When ripe, the seed pods respond to the slightest touch by exploding outward, scattering seed in all directions.

This might clue you in to the only thing people point to that might be a slight negative: It does resow itself. On the positive side, the strays are easily pulled up and discarded.

These are the original impatiens from the Far East. They are still planted there. Our more common Impatiens walleriana came to the U.S. much later.

The plant can be in bloom 10 to 12 weeks after sowing outdoors. It needs abundant water in the first few weeks, but once well-established, it is less water greedy than its cousin. The flowers are like tiny camellias.

Many years ago, I got a handful of seeds from a lovely elderly gardener in my neighborhood. The plant will always remind me of her and the generosity of gardeners.

I live near the beach and have a shrub I have never been happy with. I don't even know what it is, but it's never bloomed. Do most things need to be cut back to bloom? Is there anything I could put there and be happier with?

There is no point in keeping a plant in your landscape that doesn't live up to your expectations. Unless you really enjoy fussing over plants, there are plenty of good reliable plants that look attractive and don't require a lot of care.

Two native shrubs come to mind for you. Both are relatively underused. Simpson Stopper, Myrcianthes fragrans, can get to be 30 feet tall, although it usually doesn't. It has white, fragrant flowers and is attractive to bees and butterflies. It needs a moderate amount of water, like its relatives the myrtles, so it will be easiest if your site is a bit wet.

It grows well in a sunny site, a shaded site or a partially shaded site. It can get a little sprawly, but a little pruning will keep it in line.

My second recommendation is Walter's viburnum, Viburnum obovatum. It is a lovely shrub, smaller than the Simpson Stopper. It also has small white flowers and is blooming right now in my yard, impervious to the cold weather we have had. It is attractive to birds. Some pruning may be necessary.

Viburnums are favorite plants all over the country, although the selections that work here may not be as dramatic as some that grow elsewhere.

Both these plants have very small leaves, important to the garden designer looking for textural patterns in woody ornamental leaves.

Becky Wern is a master gardener with the Duval County Extension Service and the University of Florida/IFAS.