January 6th, 2002
Viola cornuta Sorbet Series

viola
February, 2000. Viola cornuta ‘Sorbet Lemon Chiffon’

Although the bluebonnets, larkspur, and love-in-a-mist, are all green and growing, about the only flowers in bloom this week are the violas. Violas are a miniature relative of the pansy. Both are popular winter bedding plants here in the south. I prefer the more delicate viola.

Violas tolerate both cold and warm weather. Here in Austin they bloom constantly from whenever you plant them in mid-fall until late April or May; that is, whenever the temperatures rise above 94.

The viola series I find most often at Austin nurseries are from the ‘Sorbet’ series. I especially like the pale yellow ‘Sorbet Lemon Chiffon’ and the pale blue. Although these sometimes reseed, F1 hybrid will not come true from seed.
viola
2002-03-27. Viola cornuta ‘Sorbet Yellow Frost’

Notes

Violas need dark to germinate.

  • Viola cornuta (tufted pansy)
  • Viola tricolor (Johnny Jump-up, heart’s ease)
  • Viola x wittrockiana (pansy)

In 1998, the University of Georgia’s Horticulture Garden rated violas by series and color class.

by M Sinclair Stevens

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