"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Monday, March 28, 2011

Voila, Violas!

I've visited several nurseries lately, and it's still a bit early for a huge selection of plants.  I have my mental list of plants I want to buy as soon as I see them (Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' and Alstroemeria to name a couple), and I'm being good so far in not just buying other perennials until I know where I want them to go.  I'm able to pass by the summer blooming bulbs now since I've still go some to plant and also because they don't give me the instant gratification I'm looking for now.  But the one little plant I'm just drawn to lately are the cute little Violas.

The latest to find their way home with me.  It was all I could do to just stop at 5 since there were so many pretty choices.

'Sorbet Baby Face Orchid'

'Sorbet Antique Mix' has the tiniest flowers I've seen on a Viola before.

'Penny Mickey' is the largest flowered Viola I found.

'Sorbet Coconut Swirl' I think might be my favorite, not sure if it's the color or the name because it makes me hungry.

'Sorbet Lemon Chiffon' is such a sunny color.

I planted these several months ago and they have really filled in.  The color is so pretty, it almost glows.

Wish I could remember their name.

While at the local big box store today I saw another pretty display of Violas, and while I did stand and look at them, I made myself resist them until I get the rest planted.  
Every spring I'm drawn to Violas, but they are usually hard to find.  It seems this year there is a much bigger choice, at least the places I've seen them.  They should overwinter fine here and hopefully even reseed.  Maybe the Violas are finally giving Pansies a run for their money in the popularity department?  I hope so, I love their sweet little faces.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress. Pin It

41 comments:

  1. They are all such pretty colors, and adorable little faces! I hope they reseed for you.

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  2. Bratki, to takie kolorowe śliczne kwiatki. Sa wesołe. Pozdrawiam

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  3. So very sweet! Will the violas make it through the summer? We plant them in the fall and they last until Mayish. Then is just too hot. Out come the Violas in go the inpatients. Hugs! Bonnie

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  4. Catherine,
    Good choices! I think we have some of those. In our part of the country we pull up pansies in early May, they just do not like the heat.

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  5. Those little violas are sweet. I like them even better than pansies in the garden. I bought 'golden jubilee' agastache last year. Marked down to .50 cents a pot. Do you know the sunny area where I planted about 5 only two came back? The two other areas which are wetter and a bit of shade has all of them coming up. Odd. I moved the lone two out to the other areas just yesterday. I hope they all do well this year. The yellow foliage is wonderful and quite bright in the springtime garden. Look on the sale racks for it.

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  6. Bonnie and Randy - Our summers don't get too hot and luckily the Pansies and Violas will survive, but stop blooming as much once it gets warm. They make a good comeback once it's fall again.

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  7. You are right Catherine. The violas seem to outperform the pansies. Some of my pansies look a little sad after the cold weather we have had, we'll see if they perk up.

    Eileen

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  8. A beautiful display Catherine. I have such a soft spot for violas. Mine choose where and when to come up... in the most surprising places at times too!

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  9. I can't blame you there...they are such lovely, adorable little things...I'm always reminded of Alice in Wonderland whenever I see their little faces!

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  10. Those periwinkle blue violas are wonderful.
    I'm sure you're going to love your Eden rose - I've been admiring that one for years, but it's marginally hardy here, which means a climber would have an especially hard time surviving our winters. And you're right about Sister Elizabeth - it's like 2.5 x 2.5 feet, very sweet and small.

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  11. They look pretty with your Pieris.

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  12. How pretty choices - I love the 'Sorbet Antique Mix'!

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  13. 'Penny Mickey' is one of my favorites, lucky you to find it.
    Thank you for your nice comment ~ it's been WAY too busy for me. I've missed visiting my favorite gardens and gardeners (like you). Hope to be back more regularly now.
    I'm sure you are having fun getting your new front garden together. I'll have to read thru some of your older posts to see what I've missed.

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  14. I'm with you! Viola's rock. I have the Sorbet Antique Mix in my rose bed. They add a touch of class. My absolute favorite is the Etain Viola. They smell heavenly! I'm a zone 3 and they are a zone 5, but once in a while I get them through the winter. Thank you for getting me through this recent snowstorm. I can almost smell them.

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  15. Sweet little flowers that have some great staying power! Need to have a lot more come late fall. (we are chilly today and the rest of the week, but going to be warm all too quickly.)

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  16. Love that Lemon Sorbet!
    We have violas that reseeded from last year - what a bonus!

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  17. I may have mentioned this before but when I grew violas, I would dry a few between the pages of a phone book and use them to decorate birthday packages. Also, I would place one in each square of an ice tray and fill with water. The floral cubes are so lovely in a lemonade in the summertime! You and the girls will enjoy these so much.

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  18. I've got lots of Violas reseeding in my gardens. I love their little faces too. You've got some really lovely varieties.

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  19. 'Coconut swirl' is my favorite! So pretty! I definitely like violas better than the larger pansies, though you do need to be up close.

    Thanks for your visit to WMG!
    Julie

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  20. I love those cute little faces too! I did sow Pansies two years before and they germinated in just five days! Unfortunately, I lost the seedlings to heavy rains :(
    My sister got me seeds of Viola Odorata (Sweet Violet/Common Violet) from Germany. Any tips to germinate them? Is it same as pansies?

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  21. Soooo lovely. When i first set my eyes on pansies, it was love at first sight, and we dont grow them here in the tropics. So i just content myself in posts like yours. I've seen them in person only 3X yet, Sweden-Turkey-India. How i wish i can just even plant it and produce just 1 flower! Thank you.

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  22. Piękne bratki i fiołki, pozdrawiam :)

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  23. I came across some very teeny tiny wild ones in the woods. I want to go back and get them. They were so cute and sweet

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  24. They really brighten up the spring days, especially when its gray and overcast. Of course we don't have many of those days here in the Pacific Northwest, do we? (wink)

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  25. You made the right choices, I love all of them and their names sound so delicious too! Looking forward to see them in your garden like your brilliant blue ones!

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  26. Those violas are lovely!! I love them but usually forget to put them out soon enough in the fall, and they almost always burn up in the heat of our summers. They must love your part of the world.

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  27. There are no sweeter flowers on earth. These are the flowers of my earliest memory, age three, as I wandered in my neighbor's garden. It was a fairyland to me. I loved the cut faces then, and i still do. Only five? I would want fifty! (But the rabbit that ate all my pansies last fall makes me pause!)

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  28. Such cheerful little faces. Love the colors. I'm partial to the bluey purples and the yellows. Have fun planting! :) ~~Rhonda

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  29. There have been a lot more violas in the stores/nurseries this year! Your selections are very pretty! I love the 'sorbet antique mix' cheers, Jenni

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  30. Cheerful is such a good word to describe violas. They reseeded in the front bed for the last two years, though this year's crop looks a lot smaller. The Creeping Jenny seems to be crowding out other plants. I think the Coconut Swirl is my favorite out of the ones you've selected.

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  31. I think Violas have the sweetest faces- you sure found some nice ones. I usually see pansy too, maybe I'll have to be on the look out this year. The Alstroemeria I had in our old have was one of my favorites- they last forever in my bouquets! I think I'll have to add that to my really long list of things to go in here. Thanks for stopping by!

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  32. Hello, Catherine!

    I'm late this week with reading lots of posts...and, as punishment, I have to scroll all the way down here, right to the very bottom of the page to do my bit and log in as commenter number 34! I think I'll have to lodge a complaint soon...you're definitely attracting too many followers! I'm not pleased to have to jostle my way through all these adoring fans to reach you!

    I've said so many times in the past...I too love violas (& pansies!) and don't think I ever have enough. I tuck them in everywhere to add a spot of cheerful colour and they really do go on and on and on. It's interesting you're planting them up for your spring/summer display right at the time I'm getting ready to add some to my garden pots for autumn/winter. They flower right the way through to summer, provided I deadhead religiously.

    Thank you for your visit today and for the lovely comment you left! :)

    Hugs,

    Des xoxo

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  33. Ahhhh, a breath of violet splashed air.

    I'm buying more today AND serving some in salad tonight. Heartless?

    Love to you,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  34. I think that violas are often overlooked in favour of their bigger cousins which is a shame. A lot of them are more subtle and often have a most beautiful scent. I think that 'Coconut Swirl' would be my favourite too Catherine. Just a shame that the molluscs are partial to them :)

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  35. Violas and pansies are always the happiest little flowers. I love the Penny Mickey. It has such wonderful markings.

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  36. I love violas! I especially love their common name, Johny Jump Ups. Great photos. :o) I think the Antique Mix are my favorite, or maybe Coconut Sorbet!

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  37. How beautiful...I just love violas! Any tips on how to keep the rabbits from making dinner of them? LOL* I plant them every year and those rabbits chew them down to a nub. Stinkers.

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  38. I found these little pretties on the discount rack for .50cents a 6-Pack! I bought an entire flat of them at that price! 36 plants for $3.00, what a deal! Their sweet scent filled the truck on my way home and I am enjoying their sweet faces in my gardens...

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  39. I think the reason that pansies and violas are so addictive is simply color deprivation over the winter! I just went to Lowe's, and brought home pansies, snapdragons, and African Daisies, all cold weather stalwarts. Still, I'd rather it would hurry up and get warm!

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