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The
Duet viola mix features bold, vibrant
orange, yellow, violet, cream and lavender
petals, and the Swirl mix has an heirloom,
or antique, look with pale yellow, cream
with lilac and lavender
shades.
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New viola mixes
offer excitement
By
Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Just
when I'm old enough to get set in my ways, something new
happens in the plant world to get me unsettled. The most
recent episode involves violas.
I have
always been a mass-plant-a-single-color kind of guy. In
other words, mixes and blends have never been my cup of tea.
But now I'll admit I am beginning to be won over by mixes,
particularly the new Sorbet viola mixes.
The
Sorbet series of violas has always been one of my favorites
from the standpoint of landscape impact and color palette.
Three new mixes have made my admiration even
greater.
The
Duet Mix has bold, vibrant orange, yellow, violet, cream and
lavender petals. The Citrus Mix has orange, yellow and
white. The Swirl Mix has an heirloom, or antique, look with
pale yellow, cream with lilac and lavender shades.
The
viola is an old-fashioned garden favorite and the wild
ancestor of the pansy, sometimes even called wild pansy.
Another common name is heart's ease, which originated in
England where the brightly colored flowers spring up in
meadows.
They
are very cold-tolerant and transplant to the garden with
ease, lasting long into the warm season. Plants will grow 6
to 8 inches tall and are prolific bloomers that may have
dozens of dime-sized flowers at one time.
Before
planting your Sorbet or any other selection of viola, know
they bloom best with full sun in beds with organically rich
soil. Part shade is tolerated.
Prepare
the bed before planting your violas by amending the soil
with 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and tilling to a depth
of 6 to 8 inches. Organic matter helps loosen the soil for
better water penetration and aeration, leading to good root
development.
Incorporate
2 pounds of a slow-release, 12-6-6 fertilizer per 100 square
feet of bed space. Set out plants 6 to 8 inches apart,
planting at the same depth they are growing in the
container. Maintain a layer of mulch to keep soil
temperatures moderate.
Violas
and Johnny jump-ups are heavy feeders. Feed every four weeks
with a light application of the 12-6-6 fertilizer, or every
other week with a diluted, water-soluble, 20-20-20 or
similar fertilizer. When you can, deadhead the old flowers a
little to encourage more flower production.
In
addition to these three new mixes, there are 35 colors or
blends to choose from, so there should be a color to suit
every palette and color combination. Remember to use them in
combination with color from other cool-season plants like
dianthus, flowering kale and cabbage, Red Giant mustard and
snapdragons, and spring flowering bulbs like daffodils or
tulips.
You may
be a little reluctant to plant cool-season crops just yet
because lantanas, salvias, petunias and verbenas are still
looking good. But keep in mind that selections are greatest
now. If you choose to wait until everything is frosted and
cut back, select 6-inch containers of violas and pansies for
their larger root systems.
-30-
Released:
October 24, 2003
Contact: Norman
Winter,
(601) 857-2284
Editor's
Note: Ideal publication dates of Southern Gardening columns
are within one month of their release. Editors should
examine older columns carefully for any information that
could be time sensitive.
Publications
may download photographs at 200 d.p.i. Duet
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