How^ to Grovr Violets 



VIOLETS bloom in- early spring and 

 early fall and may be plant- 

 ed in either of these seasons, 

 usually blooming about six months from 

 the time thev are set outdoors. Violets 



C. M. Bezzo, Berlin, Ontiu-io 



nights are cold and the days fine, the 

 sash should be closed in the evening 

 and opened again in the morning, keep- 

 ing it open during the day. 



When the weather Ijecomes suflicicnt- 



Flower Show by Members of Stratford Horticaltnral Society Last Angnst 



An excellent feature of the horticultural society work is the holding of flower shows. Manv 

 photographs of these are received by The Canadian Horticulturist, but space being limited, 

 will not allow the publication of all. The one published above is typical of the many. It 

 snows that the Stratford Horticultural Society is doing good work. 



planted out in September will be found 

 in bloom almost as soon as the snow is 

 off and the winter covering removed ; 

 while those planted in April or May will 

 commence blooming about September, 

 and continue right up in the face of win- 

 ter, starting again early in the spring. 



The violets of our ance.stors were 

 much more hardy and robust and 

 would stand more abuse and thrive with 

 less care than the present day highly 

 bred, aristocratic members of the family 

 but the quality of bloom was in inverse 

 ratio to their hardiness. 



In the fall when the ground is freez- 

 ing up for the winter spread over the bed 

 a two or three inch layer of straw, coarse 

 manure well shaken up or any other 

 coarse litter to soften the keen edge of 

 Jack Frost's teeth during the severe win- 

 ter weather. But those varieties which 

 are listed as semi-hardy, such as Marie 

 Louise and Stanley White, are not suit- 

 ed for outdoor planting in the north tem- 

 perate zone. 



The most satisfactory place to grow 

 violets is the cold frame, as they bloom 

 much later in the fall and earlier in the 

 spring. But do not close the frame for 

 the winter at the first sign of frost, as 

 a little cold weather at this time will be 

 good for them, preparing them for the 

 more severe weather later on. If the 



ly cold to indicate that our "Lidy ^f the 

 snows" is about to take her annual 

 plunge into the real Canadian winter, 

 close the sash and cover with boards. 

 This will afford not only additional pro- 

 tection from the cold, but will resist the 

 weight of snow which is likely to ac- 

 cumulate during the winter, and prevent 

 it crushing through the glass. Whenev- 

 er the weather is fine enough during the 

 winter, raise the sash a few inches to 

 admit light and air, and the plants, in 

 the spring, will show their appreciation 

 of these little attentions by the earliness 

 and quality as well as quantity of their 

 bloom. 



Violets are usually propagated from 

 runners, although they may be raised 

 from seed or cuttings. There are a num- 

 ber of disadvantages about raising vio- 

 lets from seed without any correspond- 

 ing advantages, especially for the ama- 

 teur. In the first place it takes about a 

 year for the seed to germinate rifter it 

 has been planted ; consequently, the 

 ground where it is cannot be used for any 

 other purpose during that time. Anoth- 

 er disadvantage is that seed-grown vio- 

 lets do not always come true in form or 

 color. Taking everything into con.sid- 

 eration, the amateur, unless he wishes 

 to do some experimenting, will find prop- 

 agation from runners much the more 



210 



satisfactory way of increasing the supply. 

 They may also be propagated by division 

 of the old cro\vns, but this method is 

 not recommended as the old plants become 

 worn out and although the plants re- 

 sulting from this division may at first 

 show much of the old-time vigor it is 

 soon lost, and if this method is contin- 

 ued for any length of time, the resultant 

 plants will have deteriorated into the 

 most common stock. 



LOOATION FOE BED. 



For the violet bed select a particular- 

 ly shaded location. Dense shade is not 

 good for them, but they must be pro- 

 tected during the hottest part of the day 

 or the sun will scorch them. A situa- 

 tion that admits the early morning sun 

 or after it has well passed the meridian 

 will be suitable. Prepare the bed by dig- 

 ging as deeply as can be done with the 

 spade or digging fork, making the 

 ground loose and fine all the way 

 through. Throw on enough air-slaked 

 lime to cover the ground. If the soil 

 is clay or sandy add a couple of inches 

 of leaf-mould or wood-dirt. As violets 

 delight in this kind of soil, there is 

 very little danger of adding too much. 

 Add to this a two inch layer of manure 

 so well rotted as to be almost indisting-, 

 uishable from earth. Dig this all togeth- 

 er, mixing thoroughly. If the soil is 

 sandy and leaf-mold or wood dirt are 

 not obtainable add more manure ; if the 

 soil is heavy clay, add sand to make it 

 friable. The wood-dirt and manure not 

 only supply plant food but assist in re- 

 taining moisture as well as in keeping 

 the soil loose and porous. 



The violet must never be allowed to 

 suffer from thirst. The frequency with 

 which they are watered must be regulat- 

 ed by the dryness of the season and the 

 quality of the soil in which they are 

 growing. If the soil is a good loam, well 

 enriched with decaying vegetable mat- 

 ter such as leaf-mold, wood-dirt and 

 well rotted manure, and has been dug 

 fairly deep and- the surface soil kept 

 loose and fine, the same amount of wa- 

 ter will not be required as would be the 

 ca.se if these conditions were less favor- 

 able. 



Under all circumstances keep the sur- 

 face soil loose and fine by frequent hoe- 

 ings, especially after each grain or water- 

 ing with the water pot or or hose. This not 

 only keeps down weeds but admits air to 

 the roots which aids very materially in 

 counteracting certain diseases to which 

 this plant is liable. ' During the severe 

 hot weather spread around the plants a 

 mulch of any coarse material to protect 

 the roots from the drying action of the 

 sun and to conserve the moisture in the 

 ground. 



