Viola tricolor
Johnny - jump - ups are one of my favorite flower because they pop upeverywhere , locate them among the leisurely blooms to grow . They ’re set to flourish .
Here ’s an example : One year , I grow a container of these empurpled , lily-livered , and white flowers ( Viola tricolor ) next to my garden .
By the close of the summer , some of the heyday in the original container had gone to seed . With the avail of the malarkey , they ’d blown over into the raised beds . They grow so quickly that I swear I saw flower within a few day of sprout .
Hybanthuscalycinus
It was plausibly a little longer than that , but not by much . We do have endlessly long days of sun during Alaska summers !
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Do you want to embed your own sweet - faced Johnnies ? You ’re in luck , because we ’re about to discuss everything you need to bonk to uprise these pretty and astonishingly hardy flowers .
What You’ll Learn
What Are Johnny-Jump-Ups?
Johnny - leap - ups are fellow member of the Violaceaefamily , which includes 25 genera .
Only three of these are really worth noting for the rest home gardener , however : Hybanthus , Rinorea , andViola . The majority of the flower in the Violaceaefamily are member of these three genus .
aboriginal to Australia and other tender neighborhood , Hybanthusflowers are forge like a pendant or spade , and they have similar colors and whisker to Johnny - jump - ups .
Rinoreaplants are in reality trees that can produce up to 20 feet grandiloquent , and contribute to the understory of tropical rain forest like those in South Africa , Indonesia , and the Pacific Islands .
Their blooms are flyspeck , cream - colored , and bell - shaped .
TheViolagenus is my favorite of the three . Unlike its more distant relatives in the Violaceae family , Violaplants – of which there are over 500 mintage – mostly produce in cooler climates .
This is part of the reason why they will produce jubilantly in Alaska , and are among the first plants our local horticulture center set out in the leaping .
Within theViolagenus , some species are classified as queen or violet . Flowers across these groupings have five flower petal , but their system is slightly different from group to chemical group . To summarise it up :
So where does our sweet-smelling Johnny - jump - up fit into all of this ?
you may reckon of ol’ Johnny as the original pansy . It served as one of the parent works to those big - flowered queer we enjoy today , and was referred to commonly as uncivilised pansy in a time before cultivation of our New - day pansies began .
It comes with a multitude of nicknames : heartsease , spunk ’s pleasure , occur - and - cuddle - me , and love - in - idling are among them .
The Johnny - jump - up is smaller than the classic , large - flowered pansy , usually develop just six to eight inches marvelous and wide . Under sure condition , it can maturate up to 10 or 12 inch tall and all-encompassing , though .
But it ’s crucial to note that while the uncivilized pansy is the “ original ” Johnny - jump - up , the name can also be used to refer toV. bicolor , V. cornuta , andV. pedunculataspecies , as well as other field of operation nance .
Cultivation and History
aboriginal to Europe , this little flower made its style to North America via traveller and traders , probably sometime in the mid-1800s .
It now grows untamed across the nation , often toss off up in fields and along wayside .
Unlike its full cousin the violet , our wild pansy does n’t have much of a scent . But its cheerful face makes up for that ! Regardless , this little prime attract bee and butterfly .
Heartsease is a hardy petty flower , too . Though it can survive in a broader range , ideally it prefers grime with a pH between 5.4 and 5.8 , which is rather specific .
In more alkaline soil where the fungusThielaviopsis basicolathrives , there ’s a chance it ’ll develop black root putrefaction .
If you need to get the pH precisely justly , behave a grease testandadjust the pH as postulate with limeif the soil is too acidulous , or sulfur if you ’re dealing with conditions that are too alkalic .
While repose will love you for planting it in rich , well - draining soil , it can prosper in areas with less - than - idealistic food , too .
If you require to implant a yard full of Reb - jump - ups or else of a sens lawn , go for it ! Heartsease does n’t mind a bit of light foot traffic . In addition to having attractive flowers , it has interesting , stretch leave with scallop edges .
Johnny - jump - ups are best suited toUSDA Hardiness Zones3 through 9 , grow as annual in warmer zone , and as biennial or short - subsist perennial in cooler area .
Propagation
It ’s crack simple to propagate heartsease . you could either sow seed indoors , direct - sow them outside , or transplant them from nursery or indoor commencement .
Here ’s how to carry out each of these methods :
Indoor Sowing
The best time to sow Johnny - jump - ups indoors is six to eight weeks before your area ’s median last frost date .
Filla seed starting traywithseed - get going mixand make a quarter - column inch roughness in each electric cell .
set down two seeds inside each indenture and cover it broadly speaking with soil . piddle with a atomizer nursing bottle to avoid dislodge the seed .
Set the tray in a lovesome location – using a heat mat is idealistic . you could also place fictile wrap or a humidity dome over the tray to help keep wet in . This can aid the seedlings burgeon forth more quickly !
Keep the grease moist until germination , which can take seven to 10 days . Once germination happens , transfer the cover and move the tray into an area that receives six to eight hours of sunlight every day .
Now is also a upright clock time to decelerate down the tearing process , and give the plant just one or two abstruse waterings a week .
verify the filth stays moist about two inch down , hold in it every few days with your finger ora soil moisture meter .
As soon as the seedling have two sets of true leaves , sneak off the smaller one of the two seedlings in each cell to let the larger one soak up all the nutrients .
This is also the good time to start harden them off , as long as the ground outside has dethaw and the weather is systematically above 40 ° F .
Put them alfresco for increasing amounts of prison term every day for a hebdomad , adding an hour per day , after which they ’ll be quick for transplant !
Direct Sowing
To take aim sow seeds , find a placement outdoors that receives six to eight hours of sunlight every day .
If you live in Zones 6 through 9 , though , your love-in-idleness will do better with fond shade – preferably good afternoon tad . If the sun is blazing down on it all sidereal day , the plant can droop .
If you ’re planting seeds in containers , replete the pots with potting premix . For come sown immediately into the background , you ’ll call for to make certain the grime is rich and well - draining , ideally with a pH between 5.4 and 5.8 .
Use your finger to make several fourth part - column inch divot at least six inches asunder from one another and from surrounding plants .
Johnny - start - ups do n’t mind rub shoulder , though , so you do n’t need to care too much about spacing . I often crowd two or three industrial plant together in one container – even if they ’re not all six in asunder .
Drop two seeds into each divot and overlay with soil . Water the plant with a atomizer bottle or the misting setting onyour hosiery .
Within seven to 10 day , sprouting should occur .
If both come in each hole germinate , pinch off the pocket-sized one once both plants have two exercise set of true leaves .
Transplanting a Start
If you picked up a young peace of mind at a nursery or you ’re ready to transplant your homegrown starting , here ’s what to do .
First , select a planting area that receive six to eight hours of sunlight if you experience in zona 3 through 5 , or four to six 60 minutes of full morning sun with afternoon shade if you live in Zones 6 through 9 .
Prepare the planting area by digging a pickle as deep and wide as the root ball of your vernal Johnny - saltation - up .
This is also the perfect time to add up well - rotted compost or manure if you have n’t already , or go for 10 - 10 - 10 NPK fertilizer according to computer software instruction .
Carefully remove the origin ball from its container and place it in the hole . Backfill with soil and water exhaustively .
Now baby-sit back and stare at your pollyannaish blooms as they nod in the breeze . Or at the folio , if there are n’t any bloom yet .
You ’ve earned a break !
How to Grow Johnny-Jump-Ups
Johnny - jump - ups prefer being moist , but not waterlogged . Give them a rich lacrimation about once or twice a workweek , depend on rainfall , and check the soil with your finger’s breadth every couple of days .
If it feel dry two inches down , give the plants more water . If it still feels moist , avoid tot up water for another few days .
fertilise in the give or at planting time with a 10 - 10 - 10 NPK fertiliser according to packet instructions .
Mulchwith lightsome - bleached constitutional textile like husk or barque scrap if you live in a red-hot clime . This will aid keep the soil temperature even and will reflect heat energy instead of absorbing it .
Conversely , if you hold out in a colder expanse , mulch with dark - colored organic material that will take over estrus .
This will also aid the grunge stay evenly moist between waterings and will keep weeds to a minimum .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Mulch will unquestionably help you toavoid having to weed the flowerbedor container , but you ’ll in all likelihood have to check the area every week and remove any unrelenting weed growing through the mulch .
In summation , deadhead drop flowersevery week . This will keep the blooms coming for longer !
I actually love this job when it comes to my Johnny - parachuting - ups . While my four - class - old son act in the thou , I sit on the front porch next to my planters and pluck spent blooms while I mind to his chattering .
He often brings a spent prime or two at bottom to add to his collection of Interesting thing From the Outdoors .
Once , after I say himthey are edible , he tasted a flower petal ! ( It was n’t a hit , but hey ! I ’m proud of my picky eater for try something new . )
It ’s also fun to show him the flowers that have gone to come – I ca n’t catch them all ! – and help him cautiously collect the tiny round seeds in his hands .
We set those in their own containers , and because Johnny Reb - jump - ups are so well-heeled to grow and care for , he gets to do all the workplace himself .
Series and Cultivars to Select
Inour roundup of the 39 good violet diversity , you ’ll determine two blooms that are often relate to as “ Johnny - jump - up”:V. pedunculata‘California Golden ’ andV. cornuta‘Sorbet Denim Jump - Up . ’
Below , we have two recommendedV. tricolorvarieties for you to bestow to your flowerbed .
Dune Pansy
If you ’ve ever been on holiday on the coast of the UK , you might ’ve spotted a diminutive heartsease with either yellow and white or violet and whitened petals .
This would be a sand dune pansy , also shout out a “ seaside ” or “ moxie ” pansy – a subspecies ofV. tricolorknown ascurtisii – that develop wild along the coastline of the UK , Ireland , the Netherlands , France , and Germany .
The dune pansy expand in low - urine areas like ironical grassland and guts sand dune . The remarkable flora has a taproot that accomplish up to three feet below the surface of the dirt , which is why it adapts so well to dry stipulation .
This Johnny - jump - up grows four to six inches marvellous and wide , and is an important food source for several species of fritillary butterflies . They bloom in the give and again in the crepuscle , and do best in sandy garden ground .
Heirloom Johnny-jump-up
For a classic , tiny tricolored bloom that ’ll place your heart aflame with pleasure , grow a Hellenic heirloom Johnny - leap - up in your garden .
The top two flower petal are dark purple , and the bottom three are yellow and cream - colored with dark purple whiskers .
The plant grow four to 12 inch tall and wide , and the heyday are just three - quarter of an in in sizing .
This heirloom heartsease blooms in other spring , and again in the fall if you cut the exhausted blooms back in June 21 .
Johnny - Jump - Up seed
It ’s suited to Zones 4 through 8 as a perennial , but will turn as a reseeding yearly in cold and hotter zones .
you could find mailboat of seedsavailable from Botanical Interests .
Managing Pests and Disease
Out of all the flowers in my garden , Johnny - jump - ups – along with other members of theViolagenus – are the only unity that I rarely , if ever , have issues with .
I have yet to see a single aphidon my pink of my John , even when the nearbydelphiniumswere plastered with the tiny insects .
Heartsease may be small and delicate - looking , but it ’s an incredibly pest- and disease - resistant plant . It ’s also resistant todeer and moose .
As long as the soil it ’s produce in is kept moist but not waterlogged , it ’s not likely to suffer from fungous infections , orsnail and slog damage .
Bonide Slug Magic
Applying Bonide ’s Slug Magic , which you canfind at Arbico Organicscan help to take care of any slug or snail issues that do occur . Be sure to follow the package direction .
And if you do find aphids on your plants , a warm rinsing with the hose follow by an covering of neem oil spray , like this one from Bonide that’savailable from Arbico Organics , will keep these pestilence in check .
Bonide Neem oil colour
You may need to reapply the neem oil every five to seven days if you keep on to see aphids appearing on the plants .
As a bonus , neem oil also help to control downy andpowdery mildewif those diseases down up after a foresighted period of rain . Appropriate spacing to promote airflow can avail your plants to avoid these as well .
Remember to conduct that soil test to ascertain that the pH is below 5.8 . Above 6.0 , this can produce favorable conditions for the fungus that cause black root putrefaction .
Oversaturated soil lead to the onset of this disease as well .
If you notice the leaves start turning yellow , you might be dealing with this disease . Apply copper fungicide to the works harmonize to software guidance at the first signaling of infection .
While you ’re at it , spray the skirt Johnny - parachuting - ups as well to avail prevent the disease from disseminate .
Best Uses for Johnny-Jump-Ups
Johnny - jump - ups make an excellent ground cover or pot substitute in a lawn .
They shine in bloom bed , plant among leap bulb and offer a natural barrier for weeds among yourtulips , daffodil , grapevine hyacinths , and more , begin to bloom around the same time as many spring bulbs .
They also make a pleasing addition to a container garden . That ’s my favorite way to use Johnny - leap - ups , because there ’s nothing like getting a pollyannaish nod from the little heyday every 24-hour interval when I get home from break away errand .
Heartsease thrives in a window box , too , and it ’s my ambition to install window boxes on my home specifically so I can develop Johnny Reb - saltation - ups and other viola there .
If you love having brisk flowers in your family , Johnny - jump - ups are an fantabulous cut flower , and willstay fresh for seven to 10 daysin a vase filled with piddle .
Or , press them between the page of a clayey book to dry and incorporate them into pressed flower art .
Harvesting Tips and Recipe Ideas
The best time to harvest the flowers for eating is in the early break of the day or evening , before the heat of midday .
Johnny - jump - up flowers taste best when they ’re saucy , so we commend harvesting them the same mean solar day you plan to wipe out them .
Pick peak at their meridian bloom time – not after they ’ve already begun to curl at the edges . endeavor to grab them right after they open if you’re able to .
Rinse them in cold piddle properly before use .
If you ’re feel adventuresome , disperse a few fresh blossom on your salad for a slightly minty spirit , and a gorgeous look .
For a special juncture – or just to impress your friends with your decorating abilities – try this simple recipe for candied flowersfrom our sister site , Foodal .
you may use the entire , intact blossom to make these sweet confections !
If you want to incorporate the flowers into your meals but wo n’t be using them right out , get an empty sparkler tray and fill each square block halfway with water .
Lay one full flowerhead in each well and sprinkle a few drops of urine over the top . Freeze for 12 60 minutes and then tot more water on top of the frozen flower so that it ’s completely covered .
After 12 more 60 minutes in the freezer , you ’ll have A-one - pretty ice square block to add to stinker body of water , iced afternoon tea , succus , or cocktail .
you’re able to also dry the bloom in a food dehydrator or in your oven . Set the oven to 150 ° F . Lay the blossom flat on a bake sheet of paper and pop them in the oven for four to six hours , rotate and turning them about every minute .
You ’ll know they ’re dry enough when you touch them and they make a rustling , crunchy strait . stack away them in an airtight container in a cool , dark place until you ’re quick to practice them .
Dried flowers make nice additions to sugar cookies .
Bake the cookies according to this delightful formula , also from Foodal , and then take them out of the oven and carefully press the dried flowers into the centre of each blistering cookie .
You may want to use the back of a spoon to do the pressing to avoid come to the hot cooky .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Ease Your Heart
Whether you ’re a newfangled or veteran gardener , field pansy has something for you . It ’s a lovely , audacious , pollyannaish little plant that ’ll print you with its temper .
For more advice ongrowing flowers in the Violaceae kinsfolk , have a looking at these guides next :
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About
Laura Ojeda Melchor
