Back when I was 19 , I go through Europe for the first metre . I recollect being struck by the lulu of the house in the Austrian countryside : mint rising behind dark logarithm - wood houses adorned with window box satiate with violets .
While I have yet to add window boxes to my house , I love all the ways you may embellish your home with flowers .
Growing violets in container next to your front porch steps is one such agency to please the center of anyone walking by .
Photo by Laura Melchor.
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That ’s what I love about growing heyday in containers : you’re able to put themeverywhere . On your front porch . Back deck . Along the pavement . At the start of your drive . Around your garden .
Even better , the container keep the ticklish blush up off the earth . If you have kid and Canis familiaris running around the yard all the time like I do , this is a huge plus .
Photo by Laura Melchor.
It ’s well-off to maturate violets in containers from seed . In this article , I ’ll show you how !
Here ’s what I ’ll wrap up :
What You’ll Learn
A Bit About Violets
In theViolagenus , there are three master groups of flowers : violet , viola , and pansies .
For an explantation of the differences between the three – and a huge inclination of all the cultivars and varieties you may implant – check out our clause where we hash out thedifferent violet smorgasbord .
All three are part of the Violaceae family , and are showstoppers in their own right . Violets are usuallywildflowers , pansy are mostly naturalise variety , and viola can be both .
And they ’re all a intermixture of annuals and perennials , so verify you check before planting .
Why Grow Violets in a Container?
Really , it ’s all about preference . You canfill a flower layer with fairy and violasfor a beautiful show of semblance , from purple to orange to blank and beyond .
But growing them in a container allows you to move them around as needed and place them in areas all around your house . And without worrying that they ’ll get trample .
Growing the flowers in mickle also allows you to lengthen the grow season a picayune , since you canbring them indoorsif it starts catch too cold or hot .
In summation , violas often need to be moved to a shady location when summer temperature rise above 70 ° F .
They do n’t appreciate a hot sun beaming down on them for more than four or five hours a daylight . Planting reddish blue in containers leave you to supply to the pretty flower ’ necessitate without too much headache .
Choosing the Right Container
A container of just about any size is suitable for your genus Viola , so long as it ’s a minimum of four inches deep .
The flowers care to have some human elbow room , so imbed one for every six to eight inch of container space is a skillful pattern of quarter round .
instead , plant one on its own in a small-scale , four - in pot .
‘ Lilac Ice ’
This spring , I ’m growing ‘ Lilac Ice , ’ aV. cornutacultivar that you may findat True Leaf Market .
One is implant by itself in a four - column inch by four - inch pot .
The other five are in a 24 - inch window box , that ’s four inches deep .
I should only have transplant four of my seedlings into it , but at the last moment my three - year - one-time plunked an supernumerary seedling into the container and I could n’t bring myself to hit it .
Who am I to squelch his budding love for gardening ?
Still , the good word stands : if you engraft your violet every six to eight inches , they ’ll enjoy plenty of quad to mound and flush .
viola like nerveless temperatures of between 40 and 70 ° F , so if you survive in a warm mood , using a lightsome - slanted container is a smart melodic theme .
That way , the material wo n’t absorb the heat of the sunlight and make the root to overheat .
you may use anything from clay to plastic . Just verify that the pot you take has drainage holes .
And if you are using a deep pot , fill the bottom inch of your container with gravel or pebbles to allow the moisture to run out away from the antecedent .
Preparing Your Container
violet expand in an organically - deep , well - draining ground . To achieve this , fill your pots with either :
If you ’re using garden stain , it ’s prudent tocheck the pH level of the soilas violet prefer a slightly acidic pH of between 5.4 - 5.8 .
How to Grow Violets in Pots
Most violet thrive inUSDA Hardiness Zones3 - 9 , but alwayscheck the seed packetto be trusted of the variety you are plant .
These blooms love cool temperature , so in cool regions , sow seed indoorseight to twelve weeks before your fair last hoar escort .
you may either sow them in seedling trays , as I did , or forthwith into their permanent hatful .
By the time early springtime arrives , they ’ll look something like this :
It wo n’t be long before buds begin to organise , and blooms will open just as the world is turning fleeceable and fragrant with the aroma of spring .
For those of you be in warmer climates , you may also direct sow violet seeds outdoors in container in later fall , or as soon as temperatures consistently discharge below 70 ° F . You’llenjoy blossom well into the winterand other leaping .
Some violets will grace you with their recurrent presence twelvemonth after yr , while others ( mostly pansies ) die after one year .
Ready to learn how to sow these beauty ? Let ’s get started .
Propagating Seeds
Violet seeds are tiny , delicate things . Mine came in a tissue paper report packet inside a large , resealable credit card baggie .
I decide to sow my seeds in semen tray , but you’re able to also direct - sow your seeds into the container you ’re planning to utilise if it ’s small enough to be indoors .
I filled my pet seed cells with somepotting mix from Burpee .
Since the seeds are so modest , you ’ll only involve to create a 1/2 - in divot in the potting mix . I drop two seeds into each hole .
Burpee Organic Potting Mix via Amazon
Then I lightly tamped the soil back down over the seeds , as they do n’t ask light to germinate . I watered them mildly with a spray nursing bottle so as not to displace them .
After underwrite them with the humidness - retaining lid that come with the seed tray I use , I learn and wait .
A week later , the seeds had germinated . I thinned them with sharp scissors so that I was leave with only one tiny seedling in each cell .
About a week after that , the first set of on-key leaves emerge .
A couple days later – with my kindergartener ’s help – I transpose the seedlings to their permanent residence : the window corner .
Then , I typeset them in the window with its warm , sunny light . One thing I absolutely bonk about Alaska ( well , I love just about everything about living here ) is that from March onward , our Day get excess long .
By summertime , as most mass have sex , the sunshine never completely arrange . Which is pure for gardeners .
If you ’d like , you may wait to transplant until the seedling have two or three set of true leaf .
Remember to set them six to eight inches apart and to organise your container as key above .
Blooms will fulfil your containers with colour and your mettle with joy . Most variety produce flowers within three month and will continue to bloom for twelve calendar week in favorable circumstance .
Start harden the seedling off once temperatures are faithfully above 40 ° degree Fahrenheit outdoors by site the containers in a sheltered placement for four hours a day , and then five hours , and so on until they ’re outside full - time .
Violet Flower Container Care
These flowers are extra comfortable to care for once they ’re merrily pucker into their permanent containers .
All you need to do is make certain they getan inch of waterevery workweek . Check the soil moisture by poking your finger about two in into the grunge , making indisputable not to disturb the etymon system of rules .
If it feels moist , there ’s no need to water . If it look teetotal , give them some water .
After a rainstorm , leave off watering for about a week so as not to bog the violet down in too much moisture .
To keep the plant cool and moist , add an inch of constitutional mulch to the crapper , making sure to leave the area around the stems open so that they do n’t rot .
viola need six to eight hours of sun – or develop light care – every solar day . If you ’re grow them indoors witha grow swooning , keep the Light Within about two to three inches away from the flora , aline as it farm .
Those of you in warm climate can move your containers to dappled shadiness to keep the flower well-chosen in hot weather .
Another thing that keep your flowers fresh in midsummer isto deadhead themwhenever you see fading flower . This can help keep them producing well into the fall .
All Natural Rose and Flower Mix Fertilizer
And do n’t leave the plant food ! fertilise with a flower fertilizer richly in phosphorus , like this onefrom Arbico Organics , every three to four weeks to keep the heyday happy .
Growing Tips
Cultivars to Select
Just about any viola variety function well in a container , but here are two fun mixes to imbed in a pot for a daddy of color .
Swiss Giant Mixture
These 3- to 4 - inch one-year pansies will glitter in a front - porch pot or windowpane box . The dark blotches in the centre of the petal provide a line for the lighter edges .
‘ Swiss jumbo ’ premix ’
This ‘ Swiss Giant ’ ( V. xwittrockiana ) mixing comes in yellowish , pink , violent , purple , blue , and white .
you may find a 1/4 ounce software check 9,900 seedsavailable at True Leaf Market . Imagine how many gorgeous one-year efflorescence you may fulfil your containers with !
Plus , these faggot are intrepid to Zones 4 - 10 , so gardeners almost everywhere can revel their colouring material this spring and summertime , and even into the fall and wintertime for those in bonkers climate .
Pansy Mix
For a fun mix of compact , prolific blooms in royal , reddish blue , lavender , and yellow render the beautiful Pansy Mix , V. cornuta .
Slightly smaller blooms than the ‘ Swiss Giant ’ series but no less arresting , containers full of these flush would look lovely against a tan , gray , yellow , or white house .
you may fill your locoweed with plentiful blooms with seeds in a diverseness of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
Managing Pests and Disease
While violet tend to quell pretty healthy , they can fall prey to a few different pests and disease .
If mulch gets too close to the prow , they candevelop crown rot , characterized by white fungus growing at the base of the plant . You ’ll need to yank infect plants so that the bunk does n’t spread , as it will kill the industrial plant .
If the soil pH is too high-pitched – above 6.2 – genus Viola can show signs of black root rot , a fungous disease caused byThielaviopsis basicola , where the foliage turns scandalmongering and cease growing . Make certain you plant in slimly acidic soil to avoid this issue , and applyfungicide to impact plants .
Does the foliage of a sudden have yellow or purple blotches ? You might be dealing with downy mildew . A white-hot powdery inwardness on the leafage signal the presence of powdery mildew .
Apply a fungicide and void watering viola from above and pass on them out for too long in dampish conditions . This is easy to do , since you ’re growing them in containers .
As for pests , aphids , wanderer tinge , andslugs and snailscan all munch on your flowers and foliage .
If slugs and snails are attain their elbow room into your pots , sprinkle diatomaceous eartharound your plant to keep the slimed mollusks aside .
To discourage them from ruining your container garden , plant ladybug - appeal heyday in the same , or neighboring containers . usual geraniums , angelica , tansy , andQueen Anne ’s laceare all good option .
Neem Oil Insecticide
Alternatively , applying neem rock oil , like this one , alsofrom Arbico Organics , can help keep the pests off once you spot them chowing down on your reddish blue .
Spray the flush once a week to once every two hebdomad for best results .
Let Violets Welcome the Spring
A container or two of these early spring bloomers in your front walkway can be a sweet-scented reminder of promise and new life to anyone who drives or walk by .
One day , I will ramp up window boxes on my house so that it can look like those gorgeous Austrian home in the mountains .
But for now , containers will do .
And if you are look for more information aboutgrowing a container garden , check out these guides next :
pic by Laura Melchor © demand the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally bring out April 29th , 2020 . Last update May 19th , 2023 . Product photograph via Arbico Organics , Burpee , Eden Brothers , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .
About
Laura Ojeda Melchor
