Plant guide
Busy Lizzie
Impatiens walleriana
Busy Lizzie is non-toxic to cats. This does not make the flowers or leaves suitable cat food; discourage chewing.
Non-toxic does not mean edible. Eating plant material can still upset your cat’s stomach.
What this guide covers: Impatiens walleriana only. Do not identify an orchid from the safety source common name Lady Slipper.
Photo:
Photo details
Impatiens walleriana — Impatiens mixed planting
By Forest and Kim Starr
License: CC BY 2.0
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
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Photo:
Photo details
Impatiens walleriana — Impatiens mixed planting
By Forest and Kim Starr
License: CC BY 2.0
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
Busy Lizzie seeds
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Non-toxic does not mean edible. Chewing plants can still upset your cat’s stomach.
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Look for Impatiens walleriana and check the selected variety. Listings and availability can change.
Plant identity
- Scientific name
- Impatiens walleriana
- Scope
- Species
- Family
- Not recorded
- Also known as
- No reviewed aliases available
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How to grow this plant
Impatiens walleriana only. Do not identify an orchid from the safety source common name Lady Slipper.
- Light
- Medium indirect light
Part shade to full shade.
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist
Keep soil moist with drainage; avoid both drought and waterlogging.
- Temperature
- Temperature range not yet established
Heat and dry spells can cause wilting; protect from frost.
- Humidity
Tolerates humidity; no numerical target established.
- Potting
- Organic-rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soil.
- Through the year
- Pinch back leggy growth as needed; monitor for downy mildew.
Growing-guide sources
- Impatiens walleriana ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-16
Impatiens walleriana only. Do not identify an orchid from the safety source common name Lady Slipper.
Growing advice reviewed 2026-10-16. Plant safety is assessed separately.
Reviewed safety information
- Toxic principle
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Reported signs
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
Missing information is unknown. It should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
Safe alternatives
No verified alternative recommendations are available for this guide.
Sources & review
- Busy Lizzie: toxic and non-toxic plants ↗ASPCA · Accessed
Listed by the source as Impatiens spp.. The source explicitly names Impatiens spp.; NC State identifies I. walleriana in that genus. The scientific identity, not the ambiguous source heading, supports this mapping.
- Impatiens walleriana ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-16
- Busy Lizzie: source assessment ↗ASPCA · Accessed 2026-10-16
Safety last reviewed .