Here's a picture of a hanging basket of viola. I bought the sad looking markdown last fall at Lowe's for 50¢. I nurtured it a little and enjoyed a full basket of blooms all winter and spring.
The heat finally got to the flowers in late May. All the plants either died or died down to the top of the soil. It's at this point that most people throw the basket away, but there is plenty of life still here.
This is when I move the basket to a cooler, shady place. Those plants that did not die completely will begin to revive. Not only that, the plants dropped and set seed during the spring. Those seeds are now emerging.
By late fall, the basket will again be full of blooms and it can be moved to an area with full sun. A 50¢ bargain you can't beat with a stick!
If I don't forget, I will submit a picture of the same basket again this winter
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I would like to know what to do with violas once they become scraggy? They have been beautiful all winter, but not now that summer is here, is it best to pull them out and plant new in spring?
Your advice would be appreciated.
Cut them back in midsummer when they get scraggly. They will grow back fuller.
You don't say what zone you are in, so you may want to look up your local extension office:
pickyourown.org/
I have only ever grown them as annuals. Our Winters are horrible so it kills them.
I have kept them for several years inside in pots. I just pinch back dead blooms and leaves and the are sturdy!
in general you want to 'deadhead' or otherwise prune such plants so that they will grow more rounded and nice
the plant grows taller because of competition from other plants for sunlight - it's an arms race of which plants gets most access to sunlight, which is why it bolts
but if you keep it pruned then it will not bolt but fill out instead
I have two Viola plants that were nice and full when I bought them. The past week they look like somebody sat on them. I'm wondering if maybe they have got too long to be perky any more. What would happen if I cut them completely back? Would they come back and bloom again or would I finish killing them?
By Joan
Can violas be out in 57 degrees at night or should I bring them indoors?
By Casey from NY
Yes they can be out. Violas are tough.
Check out these photos.
Some of you might like this quasi psychedelic effect. It was purely unintentional. I bought a 6 cell pack of viola, and planted them in a hanging basket.
This pretty little herb is called a viola. Grown by my husband in a pot on our front porch, this tastey morsel is great in salads as well as a breath-freshener on the way out the door. It tastes a lot like mint!
I was warned by a fellow member of the consequences of growing viola. She said they would multiply and take over. I haven't found that to be true in my case.
