Last January I spent some time at the conservatory at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia. Bill and I headed over to the gardens on a cold morning – and had a great time photographing in the warmth. One of the flowers I photographed was the Jungle Gold Impatiens.

Jungle Gold Impatiens (impatiens auricoma) is a perennial native to tropical Africa. The flowers are amazing – both in the shape of the blossoms and the variety of colors.

Here’s the group of flowers all on one Jungle Gold Impatiens plant.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

One of the fascinating parts of the plant is the little jagged spikes along the edge of the leaves

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Take a look at the fine patterns on the inside of the flower – the red lines make a great contrast to the bright yellow of rest of the flower.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

And finally – the wonderful shades of orange on the back of the flower.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

The Jungle Gold Impatiens were a fun flower to photograph – especially on a cold winter day.