230 



PBACTIGAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



VIOLA 



planted out at the end of May or beginning 

 of June. 



V. heterophylla. — A pretty alpine 

 Violet with a dwarf compact habit. The 

 leaves are narrowly lance-shaped and 

 toothed, and of a bright green, while the 

 large blue flowers are produced in great 

 abundance in early summer. 



Culture dc. as above. 



V. hirta. — A tufted, hairy British 

 plant, near V. odorata but with narrower 

 and more triangular leaves, with deeper 

 crenatures, and a shallower sinus. 

 Flowers from April to June, faintly 

 scented or not ; spur long and hooked. 

 The variety calcarea, is a dwarf starved 

 form with narrower petals. 



Culture do. as above. 



V. lanceolata. — A N. American species 

 with a creeping rootstock, and lanoe- 

 shaped, blunt, erect leaves tapering into 

 long, margined stalks. Flowers in early 

 spring, white, small ; petals beardless, the 

 lower ones veined with lilac. 



Culture do. as above. 



V. montana. — Asimple-stemmed, erect 

 species 1 ft. high, native of Europe, 

 Siberia &c. Lower leaves heart-shaped, 

 upper ones ovate, acute, stalks margined ; 

 stipules oblong toothed or incised. 

 Flowers from May to July, white, be- 

 coming bluish ; spur conical, straight, 

 greenish ; stigma • papillose, slightly re- 

 flexed. The variety Bwppii has heart- 

 shaped or lance-shaped leaves and pro- 

 cumbent stems. 



Culture dc. as above. 



V. munbyana. — A pretty free-flower- 

 ing, vigorous species, native of Algiers. 

 Leaves ovate - heart - shaped, blimtly 

 crenate, smooth or slightly hairy on the 

 edges. Flowers from February to May, 

 and also during the autumn months in 

 favourable seasons, large, violet or yellow, 

 produced well above the foliage ; spur 

 straight, nearly twice as long as calyx. 

 The variety Vutea has yellow flowers 

 which are faintly striped with purple at 

 the base. 



Culture dc. as above. Althoiigh a 

 perennial it is on the whole better to treat 

 this species and its variety as a biennial, 

 by raising seeds annually as recommended 

 above. 



V. odorata {Sweet Violet). — This 

 well-known plant is wild in British 

 copses and banks, and is also distributed 

 over Europe, N. Afri6a, N. and W. Asia 



to the Himalayas. Eootstock short, 

 scarred, with long runners. Leaves deeply 

 heart-shaped at the base, sinus closed ;. 

 stipules glandular ; stalks with deflexed 

 hairs. Flowers from March to May, 

 sweet-scented, blue, white, or reddish- 

 purple ; the side petals with or without a 

 tuft of hairs ; spur short, blunt. Anther- 

 spurs linear oblong. 



The dwarf and distinct variety alba 

 has white flowers ; pallida plena (the 

 Neapolitan or Parma Violet) very sweet- 

 scented, double, pale lavender flowers ; 

 permixta (probably a hybrid with V. 

 hirta) pale, scentless flowers, runners not 

 rooting; and sepincola (also probably a 

 hybrid) flowers dark, scentless, plant more 

 hairy, with rooting rimners. Sulphurea 

 is a new variety of Sweet Violet, with 

 shining deep green leaves, and lemon- 

 yellow flowers, with a deeper yellow shade 

 in the centre, and a pale violet spur 

 behind. There are many garden varieties, 

 among which the following are best 

 known : — argentcefiora, purplish-white,, 

 fragrant ; Comte Brazza, white, double, 

 sweet-scented ; Cza/r, very large, single,, 

 blue and fragrant ; White Czar, a fine 

 white form of the preceding; Admdral 

 Avellam; La Oroase Bleue; Calif omia; 

 Primceas of Wales; Belle de Chatenay,. 

 strong double white or rose-white ; La 

 France ; Luxonne, strong, beautiful, paler- 

 than the Czar but larger, much grown in 

 the S. of France ; Lady Hume Camiphell; 

 Marie Lovjiae, lavender blue and white, 

 very large, sweet-scented and free-flower- 

 ing; Queen of Violets, double white^ 

 flushed pink; Victoria Begina, large 

 double blue, sweet-scented ; Bussiwn, an 

 old free-growing large single blue variety ; 

 Wellsia/na ; Wilson ; La Violette des 

 Quatre Saisons, flowers throughout the 

 autumn, winter and spring, and is a great 

 favourite with Parisians. 



Culture and Propagation. — In the 

 open border Sweet Violets delight in a 

 rich and fairly heavy soil. They require 

 a little shelter, and the best and most 

 natural is that given by the surrounding 

 plants, among which the air circulates 

 freely. Away from brick walls, and on 

 banlts at the base of a hedge, facing north 

 or north-west, is perhaps the best place 

 for violets. Failing such natural positions 

 the plants will of course do well in the 

 ordinary flat border, not facing due south.. 



During the summer months a mulch- 

 ing of short rotten manure or the 



