The pansy flower, scientifically known as garden violet, is the decoration of every flowerbed where it is planted. Care for this plant is simple and accessible to any beginner in floriculture. And what a variety of tones and shades! Previously, only the lilac-violet gamut prevailed, from where the name came from. Modern garden violets will bloom the flowerbed in red, blue, purple, yellow, pink, orange and even white colors. If you want something special, then velvet black flower petals will definitely attract attention.
What kind of plant is violet?
The name of this flower comes from the ancient Roman "viola" and was used in the works of Pliny and Virgil. Garden Violet, a photo of the varieties of which are presented in this article, is the oldest garden culture. Two millennia ago, the Romans and Greeks used it in wreaths to decorate the premises.
At the end of the eighteenth century, the botanist from Russia P.S. Pallas, who studied the Altai flora, brought this flower from Altai for the first time to St. Petersburg.
Violets are herbaceous one-, two- or perennial plants. Leaves are arranged in turn or collected in a basal socket. The flowers are single, the upper petals are smaller than the lower, have a growth in the form of a horn or saccular at the base. The fruit of the violet is a box, the seeds retain the ability to germinate up to two years.
The genus of this plant has about 500 species that have spread throughout the world. There are wild species, and cultivated.
Varieties of violets
Many gardening enthusiasts grow violet varieties of garden varieties on their beds, most often biennial or annual plants. A characteristic feature of such varieties is that they bloom in early spring and plunge with flowers under the snow. Better than others from this species, the Wittrock violet has taken root in Russia .
But there is another type - perennial garden violet. She is quite capable of decorating a flower garden or flower bed for many years. But perennial garden violets sweeten the look with generous and luxurious flowering only in spring, as in the summer they lose their decorative effect due to the formation of many seed boxes. Such a procedure as the timely removal of wilted flowers will help to lengthen the flowering period. Usually, as perennials, they grow fragrant violet and horned violet.
Rare violet
It is worth noting a rare perennial variety of this plant. This is a white garden violet. In nature, grows in forest glades, fringes or in steppe meadows.
This is a beautiful small plant up to 12 cm high; leaf rosettes look like a triangular heart. The flowers have a characteristic fragrant aroma. White violet can multiply vegetatively or by the seeds that are in the box, in a hairy ovary.
Violet blooms from March to May, and from May to July bears fruit. Grows in Podillia, in Ukraine (in Transcarpathia) and in some places in the Crimea.
The problem with this species is that the white garden violet (photo above) disappears. This happens because steppe and meadow slopes open up, shrubs are destroyed, and environmental conditions change. And since the populations of white violets are mostly isolated, its resettlement to other zones is difficult.
Populations of white violets are restored in special conditions - in the botanical gardens - and are under protection.
Growing conditions
Garden violet prefers sunny or slightly shaded places that have fertile, well-drained soils. In dry weather, the plant needs watering, otherwise the flowers become smaller and flowering may stop altogether.
Despite the fact that violets are moisture-loving plants, they do not tolerate excess moisture and can simply die during the spring thaw.
This plant easily tolerates slight shading or diffused light, but the formation of many flowers and abundant flowering is possible only in a well-lit area. In places that are hidden from the sun and are prone to dampness, violet can be damaged by slugs.
Perennial garden violet is increasingly winning the souls of gardeners. They only grow it as an annual or biennial. For the most part, this is due to the fact that over time, the stalks of violets are very much stretched, and the flowers decrease in size. It is obvious to everyone that it is easier and faster to plant new plants.
Annuals
The root system of annual violets is fibrous, that is, the main root is missing, but there are a great many small roots. They penetrate the topsoil with a wide network and do not go deep into it. The stems are branched; on each branch, several flowers are usually opened. Annual flowers are very large, reaching 10 cm. The annual garden violet is a neat decorative bush up to 20 cm in height.
The following types of peers are most popular:
- Chalon Supreme - a series of varieties with flowered seven-centimeter flowers of extraordinary beauty.
- Rose Shades - a variety with pale pink petals and a purple central spot.
- Cherry Pie Mix - purple or maroon flowers with a white border.
- Flame is a variety with fiery red flowers bordered by an orange edging.
- Cats is an interesting series of varieties. It differs in that in the center of the flower you can see a pattern that looks like a cat's face.
- Jema is a series designed specifically for hot regions.
Perennial varieties of violets
Perennial garden violet, photo varieties which demonstrate its beauty, is popular among amateur gardeners. The following varieties are especially common:
- Viola odorata - fragrant violet. Pretty unpretentious, very fragrant plant, about 15 cm tall. It has creeping stems that are easily rooted, leaflets in the shape of a heart are bundled. Flowers about three centimeters in size can be double or simple and usually have a purple or blue color. The fragrance intensifies in the evenings.
- Viola cornuta - violet horned. This perennial plant is approximately 8 to 20 cm tall. Flowers of this species are distinguished by the characteristic presence of spurs on the back side. The size of the flowers of this plant is from one to four centimeters, the color mainly has a white-blue-yellow gamut.
Using garden violets in home design
Garden violet, planting and care of which is not difficult, is indispensable for use in the design of alpine gardens. On slides or flat rockeries made of stone, it looks especially beautiful and elegant because of its small size, which is further emphasized by the rock.
In the garden, violets are also used to decorate flower beds, flower beds and borders. These plants feel good among shrubs and trees, not far from water bodies. They are suitable for growing in a variety of garden pots, containers and balcony drawers. All sorts of braids with these romantic flowers look very interesting.
Violets behave perfectly in a limited amount of soil - in pots or pots. This plant is the best for use in multi-level stands and create small and large potted groups.
Perfectly planted fragrant violet near the resting places or in front of the windows in the front garden.
Urban violet in urban landscape
Perennial garden violet is actively used in the landscape of cities. Photos of flower beds with this plant are unusually picturesque.
Violets are rightly referred to as flowering herbaceous perennials, but their use in the design of urban ensembles is very limited. Basically, restrictions are imposed by their small size and fairly short flowering time. This creates difficulties in selecting partners and placing violets in the compositions.
For beauty and saturation, violets are always placed in groups or spots. The more significant arrays they land, the more revealing decorative, aromatic, flowering beauty.
This is one of the most peculiar plants for the fringing of flowering shrubs, rose bushes or the formation of landscape carpets, which gives picturesque and delicate beauty to the whole ensemble.
Violets along the edges of flower beds or mixborders are also good, where flowers are planted in the first line so that they can be seen. It is good if the flowering period coincides with the flowering period of a plant that is planted in the depths of the flower garden.
Planting and propagating violets
Regardless of the variety and species, perennial garden violets, the care and reproduction of which do not cause you any particular problems, are also well dispersed by self-sowing. Manually, they are propagated by cuttings, sowing seeds or layering (dividing bushes):
- Cuttings are cut from May to June. Violet stems are divided into five-centimeter segments. Any such piece of escape should be with three knots. All the flowers and part of the leaves (you need to leave three) come off, and the cuttings, tilted down, deepen into a container with 1 cm of fertile moist soil. Rooting will take place in a month and the plant can be transplanted to a permanent place with a distance between the bushes of 10-30 cm.
- For layering, a long stalk is selected from the side and bent to the ground, reinforced with a hairpin and sprinkled this place with soil. After a month, the tap will take root and can be separated.
- Another method of reproduction - by dividing the bush - has a horned viola because of the special rhizome branching in all directions, from which young bushes grow. A common bush is dug up and divided into parts.
Sowing Violet Seeds
Perennial violet perennial garden seeds are excellently propagated. Planting and care for it begins in the fall. Fresh seeds are sown in September in the soil, and shoots appear next spring.
Sowing the seeds of Wittrock violets depends on the purpose of planting:
- To obtain annuals, seedlings are sown in early spring, when the temperature rises to +10 ° C. After sowing, the seeds are slightly crushed by the soil and covered with a film. About a week later sprouts will sprout. When the seedlings will have at least four leaves, they are planted in a permanent place.
- For a two-year planting, the seeds are sown in June on an adjustable plantation. Do not sow directly on the flowerbed, since it is not known how many seedlings will be. If not all rise, then there will be a "bald spot." After a couple of weeks, the sprouts hatch, after the appearance of two true leaves, the seedlings are dived. At the end of summer, young plants are planted in a permanent place with a distance of 10-15 cm. They will bloom only next year, but the flowers will be larger and there will be more.
Violet Care
In general, viola is an undemanding plant. But there are a number of conditions that need to be considered when growing it.
The violet needs sun places. But it is able to grow in partial shade, only its stems begin to stretch rapidly and the bush loses its shape.
It is imperative to water this plant often: it adores moisture. But if the bed is arranged in a lowland, then you need to take care that there is no stagnation of water.
Every couple of weeks, you can use any mineral fertilizer for flowering plants to feed the violets, but avoid fresh organic ones: the viola has a bad reaction to them.
Flowers that fade must be systematically cut off, so the plant will continue to caress the eyes with flowering.
In very hot weather, the viola stems grow intensively and the bush loses its decorative effect. In order to return the plant to a compact form, it must be trimmed. It is worth trimming even the processes with flowers. Stems about 8 cm long should remain. Already after a couple of weeks, the viola will revive and continue flowering again.
They do not like damp and cold winters garden violets. Planting should be easily covered with spruce twigs or tree foliage.
Pests and diseases
Like any garden plant, violet is prone to spoilage by diseases and pests. The main ones are:
- Stalks, leaves and buds are affected by powdery mildew, a spider web coating and black dots appear. It is treated by spraying with antifungal agents.
- The leaves are spotted, the plant dries up, the infection can persist even in the seeds. It is necessary to destroy and dig the bed, to process with chemistry.
- The stem base becomes thinner and darker. This is a black leg. The reason - the crops are thickened, the regime of illumination and humidity is violated. The bed needs to be loosened, thinned and processed against a fungus.
- The flowers are covered with gray rot - fluffy plaque with decay. The reason is a little light, a lot of moisture and nitrogen. Treatment consists in thinning, airing, and fertilizing. Chemical treatment is also needed.
- The plant in May-June is affected by caterpillars of clover scoops and pearly violet. It is necessary to spray tobacco infusion and chlorophosomes when young caterpillars appear.