viola
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: viola
- From: D* G*
- Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 08:36:03 -0500
re V. corsica and cross breeding. I can only tell you that most of the
violets I've had in the garden spread like mad. That's a given.
Yes, I know that most are cleistogamous - or are according to botanists.
And no - Clair - for the most part, I wouldn't hesitate to send in
collected seed from any viola. Having said that, it doesn't account for
the wierd little popups we've seen in the nursery beds when growing viola
together.
One little blue we got from Halda - I confess I forget the name but named
after one of those mountain ranges he collects from in Turkey - definitely
crossed out - we wound up pitching the entire patch. Now, perhaps that's my
fantasy - perhaps the seed was contaminated or improperly labelled but they
were the wierdest little mix after four years in the bed. :-)
I do have a V. odorata patch in one of the gardens that started out as a
volunteer - we didn't plant it but I left it to see what it would do. Its
the slowest spreading light blue I've ever seen (we had dark blues in
odorata) and I have no idea where it came from. Had to have been a seed
cross somewhere because I never plant viola in my perennial beds. (I hate
weeding them out after a few years and like my perennials to stay in one
place);-)
'Freckles' mentioned here is also one of my wife's favourites and I leave
it next to her chair in our front garden. I leave a bit of it and
ruthlessly weed out the copiously produced seedlings that threated the rest
of the bed. It has never crossed out.
So, while any of the violas are delightful, my experience was that they did
do some crossing. V.odorata not much - the species more so. Perhaps
permiscuous is too strong a word ;( and I'm confusing it with rampant
spreader - but as I recall, they did cross.
If you do some deliberate crossing, I suspect you'll find some surprises
and I'd be interested in the results.
Doug
Doug Green,
Freelance writer - "You need it - I write it."
Syndicated gardening columnist and Contributing Writer
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com
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