Viola flowers (pansies)

What kind of flower

"Viola" in Russian sounds like "violet." According to various sources, there are from 500 to 700 species of this plant. This flower is found almost all over the world: in Europe, Western Asia, North America and even in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and in some regions of South America (Brazil).

For the most part, violets are annual plants (cultivars are biennial). But at the same time the flower may well be reproduced "self-sowing." If you do not tear off the flowered flowers, then in their place is a box with seeds. Once ripe, it will open and drop its seeds into the ground. The following year, a new bush with multi-colored flowers of various sizes will grow from them. Wild violets multiply quite intensively. Often, they even have to fight like weeds.

However, the little flowers of wild violet, blooming in the spring almost the first (already in April), are decorated with lawns that have not yet been fledged with green grass. In addition, they exude a wonderful aroma.

In uncultivated form, it can be tricolor violets, purple, pale lilac, almost white. These touching little flowers look very beautiful in the spring garden.

But this is not the only advantage of wild-growing violets. They are also a medicinal plant. As a phytotherapeutic agent, tinctures and decoctions of violets are used to lower the temperature (antipyretic), to combat allergic reactions, and as a diuretic drug.

Cultivars Viola

Flower growers long ago engaged in the cultivation of this beautiful flowering herbaceous plant. At the end of the 19th century, several species of the Viola Trimardo group were bred. The old varieties include numerous groups of Swiss giants and Quedlinburg giants.

These are plants with flowers of sufficiently large size (up to 7.5 cm in diameter), purple-blue (lower petals) and with a white upper petal (the so-called sail), pale blue flowers with a peephole, with dark red, variegated flowers etc.

Pansies (in the floriculture referred to as the Vittrok violet) among gardeners have gained immense popularity due to their decorative effect.

Flowers of viola in landscape design decorate with their many colors any flower beds, rabatki, borders.

Also, the violin garden (pansies) are used as potted plants to decorate balconies and windows in high-rise buildings. Cultivated species of violets differ in such a variety of colors and their richness that rare amateur growers refuse these very attractive and ornamental annuals (biennials).

There are many cultivated varieties of pansies. Their colors can be monochromatic (purple up to almost black, yellow, lilac, white flowers) or multi-colored. Sometimes the coloring of a flower can resemble a fox or a cat face with bright eyes.

Today, there are so many hybrid types of viola that they no longer give their own names. Often, they are combined into a group of heterotic F1 hybrids, hybrids of the same variety. They can be more intensely flowering, more resistant to pests, but not giving offspring (seeds).

Cultivars of viola with a pleasant aroma (Viola odorata), species with terry flowers, remontant varieties that bloom from late April to October are common.

Seedlings against seeds

It is not always possible to grow the viola from seeds purchased in bags, on which a bright beautiful photo is placed. Especially if there is an F1 symbol on the bag. After all, these are hybrids of the first generation, so often they may simply not sprout. And if they ascend, they may be completely different from what you saw in the picture on the sachet bag.

And yet, how to grow a viol? If you want to have pansies on your site, then first buy ready seedlings. Best of all, if it will be already flowering plants. So you will see exactly what you are getting.

Subsequently, if this succeeds, the seeds should be collected from ripened capsules. They need to be dried, packed in paper bags and stored before sowing in a dry and not too cool place.

It is possible to sow seeds of viola garden in an open ground in the middle of May. The best place for sowing pansies is an open sunny area. Viola may well grow and blossom in a half-shaded place, but in this case its flowers will be somewhat smaller and paler.

When sown in open ground, the viola (if its seeds germinate) will bloom from July to October.

Growing Viola (video)

Growing viola sowing seedlings

Cultivation of viola from seeds on its own should start with sowing seeds of pansies on seedlings. Crops of the collected or bought seeds are carried out in the middle - the end of February. To do this, prepare pots or containers with fertile soil (you can use the purchased soil for violets). The substrate should be loose and wet.

Viola seeds are distributed over the surface of the prepared soil or purchased finished substrate so that the seedlings are not thickened. Top them need to sprinkle with a thin layer (slightly less than 1 cm) of the same soil and put in a dark place. The temperature of the room where the container will be placed should be no higher than 20 ° C. In this case, the soil must be constantly moistened, but not overflowed.

After 1-2 weeks, the first shoots of pansies will appear. After that, the container should be brought to light, but to a cooler room (about 10 ° C). After 2-3 weeks make a dive of shoots. In early May, it is possible to plant viola seedlings grown from seeds to a permanent place.

Many experienced growers planted viola seedlings grown from seeds in the open ground immediately after the final descent of snow cover. And this can be quite justified, since pansies are cold-resistant enough.

Another breeding option for pansies seeds is sowing seeds in open ground in July or in August. However, in this case, for the autumn-winter period, cover the crops with mulch. With this method of breeding pansies with a high degree of probability will please you with abundant and bright blooms in late May - early June of next year.

This method of growing viola from seeds is akin to self-seeding. But with self-seeding pansies will often grow and grow no more than 2-3 years.

Planting Viola on seedlings (video)

Gallery: cultivation of viola (15 photos)