Violet
Hardy Perennial.
Four inches.
Flowers blue or white, March and April.
The garden violet is one of the particular flowers,
and sometimes in soil where the wild kinds grow
like weeds, will hardly give a blossom; in other
places, with no especial care, it will flower
abundantly year after year.
In the open ground
its needs are a good rich root-run, with no fear
of burning in dry weather; the plants should be
young and vigorous, propagated afresh yearly.
As soon as the flowers are over, or early in May,
pull the plants to pieces, and put out small well-rooted
sections a foot apart in good ground at the foot
of a north wall.
These must never be allowed to
go dry, and the ground must be weeded and stirred
among them all the summer.
By October they should
form compact clumps, a foot across, which are
to be planted out in their flowering beds; these
should be fairly sheltered, and should face the
morning sun. prepare the ground thoroughly by
digging and working in old manure and leaf-mould.
If early blooms are desired, safe from the chances
of weather, fill a frame with good rich soil in
October, and plant strong clumps fairly close
together; the leaves should only be a few inches
below the glass.
Give a good watering, and never
allow the ground to become dry. Only close the
frame in severe weather; when the buds show, the
light may be put on to keep the flowers from heavy
rain or frost.
For out-door growing, single violets are the best,
such as the Czar and White Czar or Wellsiana (blue);
the doubles, Comte de Brazza (white), Marie Louise
(lavender) and Neapolitan (mauve and white) must
have frame culture.
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