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A bunch of Viola Brush Strokes
A bunch of Viola Brush Strokes
A close up of Viola Brush Strokes
A close up of Viola Brush Strokes

Viola ‘Brush Strokes’

Viola cornuta

Features

  • Edible
  • Medium producer
  • Suitable for containers

Description

A fitting name for this striking mix of striped and multicolored flowers in shades of eggplant, wine, apricot, and sunny golden-yellow. As flowers age they take on a blue cast, giving them an old-fashioned sepia-toned quality. One of our favorites to date.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 10 to 13 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 80 to 90 days
Plant spacing: 4 to 6 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 8 to 12 weeks before last frost. Seeds require darkness to germinate, so cover lightly. Pansies can withstand a light frost, so cold-climate gardeners can pick a transplant date that is about 2 weeks before the last frost.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when the flowers are starting to open. Stems lengthen over time. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Details

Description

A fitting name for this striking mix of striped and multicolored flowers in shades of eggplant, wine, apricot, and sunny golden-yellow. As flowers age they take on a blue cast, giving them an old-fashioned sepia-toned quality. One of our favorites to date.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 10 to 13 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 80 to 90 days
Plant spacing: 4 to 6 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 8 to 12 weeks before last frost. Seeds require darkness to germinate, so cover lightly. Pansies can withstand a light frost, so cold-climate gardeners can pick a transplant date that is about 2 weeks before the last frost.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when the flowers are starting to open. Stems lengthen over time. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Sources

How to Grow

How to Grow

How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed

There’s nothing more rewarding than starting your own seeds. The benefits include getting a jump on the season, having access to hundreds of specialty varieties that you won’t find at your local nurseries or garden center and it’s the most inexpensive way to fill up your cutting garden fast.
Pansies and Violas for Cut Flowers
Pansies and Violas for Cut Flowers

In addition to being easy to grow, cold-tolerant, and suitable for small spaces and containers, pansies and violas also make wonderful, unexpected cut flowers. Pansies have a more stocky growth habit and produce larger-faced flowers, while violas have a more airy and wild growth habit and much smaller flower heads. Both are pure magic!
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals

Hardy annuals are some of the hardest-working, most productive plants in the late spring/early summer cutting garden. They are the first annuals to bloom in the spring, and their ability to withstand cold temperatures, thrive with minimal care, and produce abundantly for weeks from a single sowing make them an indispensable addition to the cut flower garden.
Edible Favorites for Your Cutting Garden
Edible Favorites for Your Cutting Garden

There’s nothing quite like pairing food with flowers. Most people don’t pay much attention to what’s in a vase unless they recognize the ingredients, and a little food is usually all it takes to get people talking. Not only are they beautiful for arrangements, or to put on display, these hardworking varieties are wonderful for eating too.
How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed
Pansies and Violas for Cut Flowers
Pansies and Violas for Cut Flowers
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Edible Favorites for Your Cutting Garden
Edible Favorites for Your Cutting Garden

Fall
Mini Course

In our upcoming free, three-part video series, you’ll learn how and when to dig up your dahlia tuber clumps, how to divide dahlias to multiply your stock, and how to successfully store dahlias for an abundance of blooms year after year