Winter-flowering violas are such generous little plants, bright faces that eventually turn into seeds which happily find there way into all sorts of odd little places. This year I found some violas had self-sewn between paving slabs on my patio which only gets morning sun, and I was happy to leave them right there. Others found their way into a trough that housed spring bulbs, again in partial shade given by nearby dahlias in tubs. This morning I spotted a viola flower peeping out from a jungle of other plants' leaves in a south-facing border but protected from hot sun by the foliage of other plants. They will tolerate some sun but really do prefer partial shade, hence the places they are self-seeding, all in partial shade.
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| Violas 'Beaconsfield' and 'Raspberry |
I bought some more for winter, Viola 'Beaconsfield' and Viola 'Raspberry' hoping they would cheer up the winter months until the spring bulbs take over. They are surprisingly hardy. I've put them in small hanging baskets (in Melcourt Sylvagrow peat-free compost with added John Innes) which, if snow threatens, I can move and avoid the weight of heavy snow potentially damaging them. |
| Viola 'Beaconsfield' |
I much prefer the little faces of violas to the big faces of pansies. Both, somewhat confusingly, belong to the violaceae family.
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| Viola 'Raspberry' |