Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Little Violet That Could


You may remember how excited I was last summer to find a little seedling of a Korean Violet that had disappeared from my garden a few years ago. 

I had carefully dug it from where it had miraculously popped up, several feet from its original location, and planted it in a more protected location. Small rocks were placed around it to remind me that the tiny treasure was there.



At some point, it bloomed, because I saw the open seed pods and was thrilled at the prospect of it doing what most violets do quite well - that of spreading. While common wood violets can be annoying with their proliferation, I don't mind, and I certainly won't mind if this particular species decides to attempt a garden takeover.

I'm happy to say that it made it through the winter, and is now blooming.  I'm going to try to monitor the seed production so that I can collect it and give each seed the best chance possible to germinate.


Korean Violet (Viola koreana 'Sylettas') in bloom on April 25, 2010


On Friday, as Mom and I drove home from the Cincinnati Flower Show, we stopped at Natorp's Garden Store, where I purchased a Toad Lily (Tricyrtis sp.).  Nestled down in the pot was a bonus: Two small Korean Violet seedlings!

Maybe I'll have my own little colony after all!



12 comments:

Unknown said...

YAY!!! :)

Unknown said...

Yay indeed! So tickled about this. What a charming little plant, Kylee. I'm waiting for my yellow violet to put in an appearance-if I could just remember where I planted it. It's still plenty early though, and lots of stuff to emerge from the ground here. But spring is moving quickly!

Anonymous said...

A whole colony of those little blooms would be awesome. They're such Spring darlings. :)

Sabrina said...

LOVE the Korean violet foliage!

Kylee Baumle said...

Blackswamp_Girl ~ Yes, yay!

Nancy ~ The blooms are nice, but what I love is the foliage!

Sabrina ~ So do I, which is why I bought them in the first place and was so disappointed when they disappeared. I'm VERY glad they're back!

Lona said...

It is so pretty Kylee. Glad it made it through the rough winter. Oh, I love getting those pots of flowers with those little extras sticking in them. LOL! I always feel like I got my moneys worth for certain.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You lucky duck getting those bonus plants in your lily. I hope they all take.

Anonymous said...

It's a cute little bloom, but I've never heard of them before! Hey, we are going to East Lansing in a few weeks, and I want to see the gardens you mentioned some time ago. What's the actual name of the Michigan State garden I should see, and where is it?
msrobin58@insight.rr.com

joey said...

Oh happy day, Kylee! I have never seen this charming Korean Violet, the foliage most unique.

garden girl said...

Love the foliage on your violet Kylee! I remember you posting about it last year, and I'm happy to see it has returned. And bonus plants with your new toad lily. . . awesome!

Victoria Williams said...

How nice! Those little surprises are the best!

Connie said...

What cute little plant!

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