Quick! Picture a wisteria vine. I bet you conjured up something with lilac flowers on long racemes. Maybe you even imagined an aggressive woody vine that will try to take over your garden.Forget all that.While yo
12.06.2023 - 00:56 / gardenerspath.com / Laura Ojeda Melchor
39 of the Best Violet VarietiesI’ve never forgotten the joy of seeing tiny purple, white, and yellow ‘Johnny-jump-ups’ popping up through the soil in the springtime.
We had a clump of pansies in our flower garden in Montana when I was growing up.
I don’t know if they were wild or if we planted them there, but I do remember how much their colorful little faces cheered me up.
Recently, I’ve found myself in need of some cheer. So I set out to find out more about the little Johnny-jump-up and the rest of its family.
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As a result of my research, I’ve got a window box of ‘Lilac Ice’ violas growing in my office now. And I have discovered the most wonderful viola varieties to bring you some joy.
Let’s get started!
On Violets: A PrimerViolas, violets, and pansies, oh my! There’s nothing quite so perplexing as trying to figure out the difference between these three lovely blossoms.
But there are differences, and after reading this quick primer, you’ll know them by heart.
The first thing to note is that the Viola genus, part of the Violaceae family, comprises all of the species and cultivars that we call violets, violas, and pansies.
All flowers labeled “pansy” that are sold today are cultivated hybrids and subspecies of the original wild species V. tricolor – also known as Heartsease.
Cultivated enthusiastically by gardeners since the 18th century, the garden pansy boasts a wide variety of colors and usually has a characteristic “blotch” on the face of the flower.
In the late 19th century, Swedish botanist Veit Brecher Wittrock started crossing V. tricolor with other species such as V. lutea from Russia, and V. altacia. This gave
Quick! Picture a wisteria vine. I bet you conjured up something with lilac flowers on long racemes. Maybe you even imagined an aggressive woody vine that will try to take over your garden.Forget all that.While yo
Pomegranate trees, Punica granatum, are suitable for cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11. They thrive in arid or semi-arid regions, producing an abundance of fruit in fall in ideal growing conditions.The red, leathery pomegranates piled high on a pr
The hydrangea is a deciduous shrub with mature dimensions ranging from dwarf to tree-sized that boasts showy flower heads in an array of forms and hues.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products
Shopping for a new succulent to add to your collection? Or will this be the first installment with many more to come?Aloe probably made the list of options you’re considering.
Zinnias are a popular mainstay of the annual flower garden, grown from seed to fill the flowerbeds with vibrant color. Blooms sit atop tall stalks perfect for cutting, or dwarf plants are suited to growing in containers.Though they’ll do well in gardens across a huge swa
I adore the variety of the changing seasons, from the quiet blanket of snow in the winter to the blissful feeling of sun on my skin during the summer.But when Old Man Winter is on
You know the phrase, “an iron fist in the velvet glove”? Scholars like to quibble over who uttered it first, with Napoleon as the leading candidate.Me, I’d argue only that they could have been talking about olea
Forsythia is a non-native deciduous shrub best known for its profusion of bold yellow blossoms that appear just as winter yields to spring.There are 11 species in the Forsythia genus and numerous c
Snapdragons have come a long way in the past 100 years. Prior to the 1950s, the plants were mostly short, with stumpy stalks and muted flower colors.There was nothing like the variety of heights and
Foxgloves are one of my top five favorite flowers. There’s nothing quite like the sight of tall spikes packed with long, tubular, brightly colored blooms with speckled throats.The common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is the
With beautiful purple, blue, pink, or white flowers and delightful perfume, lavender is a garden favorite around the world. Unfortunately, not all varieties are suitable for hot or humid regions.However, that doesn’t mean folks in USDA Hardine
Check out the Best Clerodendrum Varieties that we have hand-picked for you! Grow them to add a blooming appeal to your yard!