If you’re itching to plant something, why not start some violas indoors?

An old garden favorite, violas are easy to grow from seed, indoors or out. Because of their adaptability, violas were chosen as the National Garden Bureau’s 2007 flower choice, making 2007 the Year of the Viola. Not sure what a viola is? Violas are similar to pansies and are competing with their popular cousin for queen of the cool season gardens. Newer violas offer larger flowers, better heat resistance and more cold tolerance.

Breeders are producing violas now whose colors have grown more dazzling, with deeper jewel tones and brighter pastels. Some now combine two or three colors with unique patterns and markings.

‘Skippy XL Red-Gold,’ a trademarked hybrid Viola cornuta, was the first viola to win an All-America Selections award in 2006. Its large flowers are ruby red with violet-red shading below a golden yellow face with the trademark whiskers or markings. The ‘Skippy’ series also comes in many other colors, including bicolors.

The hybrid trademarked ‘Patiola’ series combines the flower size of a pansy with the hardiness of violas.

In cold winter areas like ours, violas are planted outdoors in early spring. In the sunny south, violas are planted in the fall and often bloom all winter.

Violas are available as bedding plants here in late winter, but if you want to try raising your own, you should plant them in the next few weeks. The National Garden Bureau recommends moistening sterile seed-starting mix and then filling flats, trays or pots to within a quarter-inch of the top. Put two to three seeds in each cell or small pot, then cover with moist soil almost to the top.

The seeds need darkness to germinate, so make sure they’re completely covered with soil. I like to cover seed trays with plastic wrap when seeds are germinating to keep them moist.

Place the tray in a warm location until seeds begin to grow, about 10-14 days later. Some gardeners use the top of the refrigerator for germination because it’s a nice, warm, flat surface away from kids and pets.

Once the seedlings appear, move the container to a bright, sunny window or place it under plant lights. When you have a couple of sets of leaves on the seedlings, pinch off all but the strongest plant in each cell. You won’t need to fertilize unless the planting mix didn’t include any fertilizer.

When the seedlings are big enough to plant outdoors, they need to be “hardened off,” a process that gradually acclimates them to cooler outdoor temperatures. Take them outside in a shaded or protected area like a porch for short periods, about four hours a day to start, gradually increasing the time. Keep the soil moist and plant in the garden after 10-14 days. Light frost won’t hurt violas.

If you’re buying bedding plants, look for healthy, compact plants with green leaves. Signs of yellowing may mean root or nutrition problems. Push up on the bottom of the plastic pack to free the bedding plants from the container. Don’t pull the plants up by the stem.

Violas need morning sun and afternoon shade. They don’t tolerate a lot of heat, so pick a suitable planting spot. Violas do best from 30 to 80 degrees. Above those temperatures, they won’t flower and may die.

Violas are great in the garden or as cut flowers on the table and they’re also an edible flower. They can be used in jams and jellies, teas, garnishes and salads. Violas make nice dried or pressed flowers and their smaller size is handy for many craft uses.

source : www.pal-item.com