These are Pansies, right?

[Tutter]

Mine never spread, either.

Those are beautiful.

I currently have 4 color varieties in the garden. I find it interesting that some are virtually scentless, while others smell wonderful. Do yours have a scent?

The large ones I plant annually. The little "Johnny Jump Ups", which I have planted around the bases of some trees, come up every year no matter how cold it's been, or even if it flooded where they are over the winter.

Then we have 2 types of little wild violets. The purple/white variety, and the yellow stream violets.

 

[ShellieESterling]

I currently have 4 color varieties in the garden. I find it interesting that some are virtually scentless, while others smell wonderful. Do yours have a scent?

Yes, but it's very faint. I can only smell it when my 3 yr old asks me too and literally jams it in my nostril.

 

[Reinbeau]

Here's an interesting little tidbit from the Wikipedia page about violets:

One quirk of some viola is the elusive scent of their flowers; along with terpenes, a major component of the scent is a ketone compound called ionone, which temporarily desensitises the receptors in the nose; this prevents any further scent being detected from the flower.

Personally I have never been able to smell any scent from a violet. A friend of mine, a real violet expert, has tried many different kinds that most find very fragrant, and I just can't smell them at all.

 

[Tutter]

That is really interesting! I wonder why?

Generally they only have a little scent, if any, to me, but this year 2 of my 4 are really beautifully fragrant. I wonder if I should try to get seeds from them, and hope their children carry the same trait?

Well, you can look at it this way, ShellieESterling, you are raising a child with an appreciation of nature!

 

[ShellieESterling]

Well, you can look at it this way, ShellieESterling, you are raising a child with an appreciation of nature!

Oh gosh yeah, he's a little OVERLY excited about the gardening efforts. Him and the baby try to water the garden themselves while we're outside.

I can see it already... They're going to go crazy when we go pick up the chicks from Jody this summer.

 

[ams3651]

thanks for reminding me of them, Ive always loved them and they spread like crazy at my dads house. Im going to have to get some more. They are pretty planted with Daisys. (we called them Johnny Jump Ups too)

 

[patandchickens]

There are some flower scents, like freesias, that not everyone can smell. I am under the impression it's a genetic thing (?). Of course, people also differ in how good a sense of smell they ahve and it can change over time.

Pat, ever so slightly sad to be among the non freesia smelling part of the human race