The Right Name AT LAST

[Pulsegleaner]

Hi all,

As some of the people on this site know from my postings previous years. I am very picky about my pansies/violas, going to great lengths to get the perfect ones for our garden.

A key linchpin of my annual pattern are RED violas which are quite hard to find (red PANSIES are easy, but I want violas). In fact I basically only know/knew of one nursery that reliably carried them, and then only as part of a multi-color mix. So every year up to this one has been a beat the clock affair of getting there AS SOON AS the flowers come in, since even those mixes have very few reds (the most I have ever gotten in a year is seven plants).

So anyhow, this year I went to the nursery and after a LOT of searching, finally found this years packs (3 of them). As I got them home I noticed the plant tags and came to a realization. Up until now I though the name of the viola mix I was after was Penny Lane, but had seed Penny Lane boxes there and they weren't the right mix. These labels said Sorbet Series. They were clearly the wrong labels (since they said the boxes were pure yellow). But this got me to thinking, what if the plant labels from the PREVIOUS years were ALSO wrong? What if what I had been buying wasn't called Penny Lane.

So on a hunch I put Sorbet series into the computer, and it turns out I was right, THAT is what I have been after. Specifically the Autumn Glory Mix.

This information is of benefit to me in two ways I know not only know the correct name to go looking under, but, knowing that name I can try to pre-order. To make things even easier it turns out that flats of JUST the red DO in fact exist (It's called Red Blotch). So next year I can simply order a flat of that and be set. Much easier than my current idea to try and collect seed from the plants each year, which never seems to work (for some reason, the red is a lousy seeder. I understand bees have trouble seeing red, maybe it is that.)

I also found something that can fill in for the relative paucity of plants this year. A trip to another nursery yielded me some packages of Deltini pink violas which had plants that were florally melanistic, giving them a deep purplish magenta hue that is close enough to the red I am after to pass at a distance.

I also planted the seed I have saved from my Purple Whiskers pansies out back, so hopefully those will be refreshed (Violas tend to come back from seed more readily than pansies, but one can hope.)

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Tell me the difference between Viola's and pansies, if you feel like typing and story telling. If not, I can go look it up.

Interesting thread...thanks!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

To be perfectly honest I don't know exactly. Both are classified as Viola tricolor, with the Pansy being the variety hortensis.

I THINK the way they are separated is based on size. Pansies are a lot bigger, both in terms of plant and flower.

I think that anything big is called a pansy and anything the size of the wild pansy (commonly known as heart's ease (or if you are American Johnny Jump-Up) or a little bigger is called a viola. But I think they can cross readily and most types ARE a mixture with traits from both (for example the Sorbets are viola sized but have a pansy like rounder flower shape)

 

[flowerbug]

@Pulsegleaner,

nice to know what you are looking for!

 

[catjac1975]

Hi all,

As some of the people on this site know from my postings previous years. I am very picky about my pansies/violas, going to great lengths to get the perfect ones for our garden.

A key linchpin of my annual pattern are RED violas which are quite hard to find (red PANSIES are easy, but I want violas). In fact I basically only know/knew of one nursery that reliably carried them, and then only as part of a multi-color mix. So every year up to this one has been a beat the clock affair of getting there AS SOON AS the flowers come in, since even those mixes have very few reds (the most I have ever gotten in a year is seven plants).

So anyhow, this year I went to the nursery and after a LOT of searching, finally found this years packs (3 of them). As I got them home I noticed the plant tags and came to a realization. Up until now I though the name of the viola mix I was after was Penny Lane, but had seed Penny Lane boxes there and they weren't the right mix. These labels said Sorbet Series. They were clearly the wrong labels (since they said the boxes were pure yellow). But this got me to thinking, what if the plant labels from the PREVIOUS years were ALSO wrong? What if what I had been buying wasn't called Penny Lane.

So on a hunch I put Sorbet series into the computer, and it turns out I was right, THAT is what I have been after. Specifically the Autumn Glory Mix.

This information is of benefit to me in two ways I know not only know the correct name to go looking under, but, knowing that name I can try to pre-order. To make things even easier it turns out that flats of JUST the red DO in fact exist (It's called Red Blotch). So next year I can simply order a flat of that and be set. Much easier than my current idea to try and collect seed from the plants each year, which never seems to work (for some reason, the red is a lousy seeder. I understand bees have trouble seeing red, maybe it is that.)

I also found something that can fill in for the relative paucity of plants this year. A trip to another nursery yielded me some packages of Deltini pink violas which had plants that were florally melanistic, giving them a deep purplish magenta hue that is close enough to the red I am after to pass at a distance.

I also planted the seed I have saved from my Purple Whiskers pansies out back, so hopefully those will be refreshed (Violas tend to come back from seed more readily than pansies, but one can hope.)

I am glad you solved you seed mystery. The heart wants what the heart wants.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Johnny Jump Ups: I remember those and their name!

 

[digitS']

I discovered some mislabeling, yesterday.


The seed had just gone into a temporary hoop house bed.

Brassica oleracea is the cabbage family: broccoli, collards, Brussels sprouts, some kales, etc.

Orach is in the amaranth family: along with spinach and cousins beets and chard.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I buy a certain quantity of my seed in Chinatown. Mislabeling is RAMPANT with those companies. I have bought bags of seeds for hyacinth beans that had common beans in them. And one company used to have a seed packet labeled enigmatically "Herbs: Small Fennel, Chives." Never did figure out what was in that one (based on my best guess it was Chinese Dill or Chinese Fennel.)