Viola tricolor
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JOHNNY-JUMP-UP, HEARTS EASE, LOVE-IN-IDLENESS
Family: Violaceae
Pronounced: VIE-o-la TRI-ki-lor
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Europe, Asia.
Plant Group:
Perennials.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: All.
USDA zones: 4-8.
Mature size:
Height: 3-5 inches (8-13 cm).
Width: 4-6 inches (10-15 cm).
Flowering period:
Spring to autumn.
Flowering attributes:
Shades of many colors, but mostly purples, yellows to blues, and yellows.
Leaf attributes:
Evergreen, heart-shaped, toothed leaves.
Growth habit:
Evergreen clumper, sometimes with spreading stems.
Light:
Full sun to partial shade.
Soil:
Fertile, humus rich soil.
Feeding:
Side dress with compost in spring.
Propagation Methods:
Sow seed in situ spring, late summer or early autumn, 1/8" deep.
Pruning Methods:
Cut plant back halfway after first flush of flowers to keep plant from becoming lanky.
Rainy Side Notes
Johnny-jump-ups do just as their common name insists. I grew them in my former garden and they piggybacked in with other plants from the old garden to the new garden. They tend to fill a void between the spring flower show and the summer flowers in May and June. Although I never planted them in my present garden, I have plenty and I do not mind.
They will seed themselves around the garden, but I do not find them a problem to pull out if I don't want them. When they get lanky, I pull and toss them into the compost heap. You can prune the plants back by half to encourage more bushiness and flowers. Enough seeds fall off the plant for next year, before they get too lanky, if you decide to pull them out.
Although these violas are perennial, they are often treated as annuals and biennials.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
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