Viola

Common name: Heartease

Overview:

Blue and Yellow Pansy with typical 'face; markings — Pansy

Viola is a hardy perennial often grown as an annual, and is not to be confused with its big brother the hybrid garden pansy V x wittrockiana.

This smaller variety is generally classified as either V x cornuta or V x tricolour (Heartsease)

The flower size across the genus can vary from about 20mm (¾”) which is generally accepted as a Viola to the many hybrids Pansies which can measure 100mm (4”) across.

The Viola grows to around 150mm (6") high with a spread of approximately 300mm (12"), and flowers from May to September.

Deadhead the flowers as they fade to maintain a succession of blooms.

A few Viola examples

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Cultivation:

Week 11:

Pricked out seedlings in a cell tray — Pricked Out Seedlings

Sow seed in trays of seed compost and germinate at a temperature of 16°C (60°F).

Germination should take about seven to ten days.

Week 13:

Prick out seedlings into 75mm (3") pots/cell trays of potting compost.

Gradually harden off till planting out time.

Week 20:

Plant out 200mm (8") apart in any fertile, moist, well drained soil, in sun or partial shade.

Week 30:

Alternative sowings can be made now.

Sow seed in trays of seed compost and germinate in a cold frame.

Prick out the seedlings into 75mm (3") pots of potting compost over-winter the young plants in the cold frame.

Plant out in the flowering sites in March or April.

Week 32:

Take 50mm (2") cuttings of non flowering basal shoots and insert into trays/pots of equal parts (by volume) peat and sharp sand, and place in a cold frame to root.

Once rooted, pot up individual plants into 75mm (3") pots of potting compost, and grow on until planting out time.

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