Viola 'Gem Pink Antique' - 25 SEEDS

Viola cornuta

These gorgeous dainty blooms in antique pink and mauve tones, with the occasional hint of turquoise, are very fragrant with strong stems and upright growth. The 'Gem' series are a very popular collection of Viola's for cutting.

https://ballaustralia.com/product/viola-gem-pink-antique/

Image credit: Ball Australia

These specialty varieties of Pansies and Violas are making a comeback in floral design, led by the inspiring Brenna Estrada from Three Brothers Blooms in the US, who is about to release her book "Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas". Pansies historically make fantastic cut flowers and the amazing modern breeding is helping to bring back the longer stemmed cultivars - which do need careful but quite simple growing methods to achieve useable stem length (like planting very closely together and/or next to a trellis). Brenna's book (and stunning Instagram content) and guidance from growers like Floret have inspired a Pansy movement in the US and I am so excited to bring these varieties to Australia so we can all fall in love with a new type of Pansy.

I am growing cut-flower Pansies and Violas this season for the first time alongside you, so I will provide growing instructions below and a whole lot of fantastic references to help you (and me!) on our Pansy/Viola journeys. I highly recommend ordering Brenna's book (available through Amazon in Australia) and deep diving into the resources below. It is such a beautiful world to fall into! The growing instructions and descriptions of each variety come from an amalgamation of my research into each variety. I will add Australia-specific content as I grow them and can share my experiences with you. For now, as I have been able to access these seeds through my wholesale sources, I am able to share these hard-to-find (if at all) seeds with my fellow Australian gardeners and growers.

Pansies and Violas can very successfully be grown as perennials. Cuttings can be taken from plants to expand your collection of specific cultivars, and plants will self-seed resulting in new strains of beautiful Pansies and Violas in your garden.

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS

SOW: Late Summer - Early Spring

DEPTH: 5mm

SPACING: 10cm for cut flower production

HEIGHT: 15-40cm (stems lengthen over time - for taller stems use close planting / climbing support)

MATURITY: 10-12 weeks

https://threebrothersblooms.com/pansies-book/

https://threebrothersblooms.com/2022/02/01/starting-pansies/

https://www.floretflowers.com/pansies-and-violas-for-cut-flowers/

https://library.floretflowers.com/collections/pansies

https://thekokorogarden.com/blog/2020/4/27/growing-violas-and-pansies-for-the-flower-farmer

https://farmerbailey.com/pages/viola-and-pansy-growing-guide

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/flowers/viola-pansy/viola-pansy-key-growing-information.html

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/flowers/viola-pansy/video-v214.html

Please store your seeds in a cool, dark and dry location until ready for planting.

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