86o 



VIOLA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



VIOI.A. 



onwards it flowers abundantly, and its 

 flowers are of a peculiarly rich and hand- 

 some yellow, the three lower petals being 

 striped with thin lines of rich black. 



V. Munbyana. One of the prettiest 

 of Violets, abundant in flower, free and 

 robust in growth, and quite hardy. 

 Generally it begins to bloom about the 

 end of February, but it attains its greatest 

 beauty in May. The deep purple-blue 

 flowers resemble those of V. cornuta ; 

 and there is also a yellow variety. Algeria. 



V. odorata (Sweet Violet}. This well- 

 known plant is in a wild state widely 

 spread over Europe and Russian Asia, 

 and is common in various parts of Britain, 

 while it is grown in almost every garden, 

 and enormous quantities of it are sold in 

 London, Paris, and many other cities. 

 Its delicious odour distinguishes it from 

 other Violets. It may be grown where 

 almost everything else but weeds would 

 fail, forming carpets for open groves or 

 the fringes of woods, of hedges, the open 

 parts of copses, or for banks. Instead 

 of being confined to a bed for cutting 

 from, it should fringe shrubberies, rock- 

 gardens, or ferneries. In such positions 

 it requires no care, and rewards the 

 planter by filling the cold March air 

 with unrivalled sweetness. It will grow 

 in almost any soil, but best on free sandy 

 loam. It is well to naturalise the plant 

 on sunny banks, fringes of woods, and on 

 the warmer sides of bushy places to 

 encourage a very early bloom. 



The cultivation of the Sweet Violet is 

 of great importance, not only for private 

 gardens, but also to supply the vast 

 demand for it in large cities. About Paris, 

 the cultivation of Sweet Violets for the 

 markets is largely carried on, and in some 

 places three or four acres may be seen 

 covered with these flowers. The ground 

 is well exposed to the mid-day sun, and 

 is rich, free, and warm. The plantations 

 are made in spring, those required for 

 the winter markets being grown in frames. 

 Sweet Violets may be propagated to any 

 extent by division, but strong, healthy, 

 free-flowering plants are easily raised 

 from seed, which should be sown as soon 

 as possible after it is gathered. In cold 

 dry parts, where Violets do not succeed 

 well, and also where they are required 

 in mid-winter, it is better to raise a 

 number of healthy plants every year, and 

 to put them in a light frame in a sunny 

 position in autumn. With very little 

 trouble we may have Violets long before 

 they bloom in the open ground. Plants 

 which are obtained by setting out runners 

 in spring in rich soil, and receive in dry 



weather all the water they need, may 

 be set in a cold frame early in autumn. 

 Allow them to grow until the approach 

 of winter, when fill the frames with leaves, 

 put on the sashes with a shutter over 

 these. The plants must have abundance 

 of air on mild days, and water as they need 

 it. A frame of three sashes, separated into 

 three parts by boards, may be uncovered, 

 one sash at a time, at intervals of two or 

 three weeks, and thus a succession of 

 flowers will be kept up. Violets do not 

 like forcing, neither do they need it if 

 their crowns are ripened early, and they 

 are tempted by the protection of glass to 

 open out genially and exhibit their fra- 

 grant blossoms. 



In the open border Sweet Violets 

 thrive on a moderately heavy rich soil ; 

 if the soil happens to be light and gravelly, 

 some stiff material and plenty of manure 

 must be added to it ; and if poor and 

 hard clay, it will be benefited by the 

 sharp gritty matter and abundance of 

 rotten manure. Violets require shelter, 

 but not that of a wall ; and in town gardens 

 or .gardens surrounded by high walls 

 they are seldom healthy. Their natural 

 shelter is a hedgerow, in which they get 

 currents of pure air, which are essential 

 for keeping down red-spider and for 

 maintaining the foliage in a healthy 

 condition. Violets grow well on the north 

 or north-east side of a Hornbeam hedge, 

 if somewhat naked at bottom, so -as to 

 allow the sun to shine on their leaves 

 early in spring, and afford a partial shade 

 in summer. When the soil is deep and 

 rich, however, Violets will bear a consider- 

 able amount of sunshine. It is well to 

 have a few plants in different positions, 

 so as to ensure a succession of bloom. 

 On south borders Violets dwindle and die ; 

 but a few roots on sunny banks will give 

 some early pickings. 



The insects that trouble the Violet 

 most are green-fly and red-spider. The 

 first is generally the result of a close un- 

 healthy atmosphere, and is easily got 

 rid of by gentle smokings. Red-spider 

 is helped by strong sun and by dryness 

 at the roots ; hand-dusting with sulphur 

 is the best remedy, but it is easy to 

 prevent ts occurrence by syringing the 

 plants and their surroundings. 



The varieties of the Violet are very 

 numerous. We have the single white and 

 the single rose, the double white, the Czar, 

 (a very large and sweet variety), the Queen 

 of Violets, Admiral Avellan, La Grosse 

 Bleue, La France, California, Princess of 

 Wales, Luxonne, Belle de Chatenay, 

 W T hite Czar, Lady Hume Campbell Marie 



