Native to Eastern Africa. Impatiens got their name from a Latin word that describes the way they shoot out their seeds when their seed pods open. Impatiens should be set out after all danger from frost. Impatiens are sold in garden centers as plants. Plants will grow in shade to partial shade. Space the taller kinds one foot apart and the smaller varieties six inches apart. Do not allow the plants to dry out or they will drop some of their leaves. They do not need fertilizer. After mid-summer cut them back to about six inches, and within a short time they will grow back.