I just ordered from Goodwin Creek... and am looking at some violets from Well Sweep. How was your experience?

The violets from Goodwin Creek have grown and I am anxious to see how they perform this fall and winter. Last winter was very mild here. I never got around to ordering from Well Sweep but I will probably do it before they stop shipping for this year at the end of next month. I just ordered seeds of six different scented violets from Groves Nurseries in England. I ordered the seeds of the varieties Kim, Candy, Isabella, Ada Segre, Dick o'the Hills, and Princess of Prussia. I can't wait to see how they germinate. Which varieties did you order from Goodwin Creek Julianna?

I was considering ordering seeds from Groves or another English source as well, but then decided to wait. I ordered from Georgia Vines and Summer Hill seeds(V. koreana sylettas, v. sororia rubra Emperor magenta, Freckles, and Fuji Dawn). Summer Hill also gave me a free packet-- v. Frosted Chocolate.

From Goodwin I ordered Lianne, Mrs. David Lloyd George, and the Labrador violet.

From Well Sweep, I was eying Alice Witter, Laney Bell, and pensylvanica. I was really also hoping for a few other things from there as well, non-violets :) I am also looking at getting Comte De Brazze and Countess de Parme from Select seeds when ordering opens up there in January.

PS Dick o'the hills looks so cute!

I wanted Lianne badly because I read somewhere that it would bloom from September to April during mild spells of weather. Unfortunately they were sold out of it when I ordered. I have grown V. koreana sylettas from seed before and it produced tiny little plants with beautiful veined leaves. However, I never got one single bloom from it. I hope you have better luck. Keep us posted.

That is exactly why I ordered Lianne! I'll let you know how they do. I have a balcony garden and am underplanting with violets. It's recessed and north-facing, so there is basically very little to no sun-- but it is very bright shade. Also, it gets quite hot here in the summer so I think the plants appreciate it more. I started out with just purple sororia and priceana from my grandmother's and parents' houses. They have just exploded in size and vigor, so I am hoping this is a good sign for the others. I was thinking to do my bulb planting and mucking around in the next couple months and then lay the seed down in/by November when we may be getting the first frost. That way the seeds could go through the winter and then germinate in the spring? It looked like several wanted a cold period for germination and that seemed the easiest way to do it as far as I could tell. Any thoughts?

I am really excited about ordering Laney Bell. The yellow violets and the doubles are my favorites. I am terminally sad that I missed Flamecheck. I can't find it being sold anywhere. I will let you know how things do! Keep us updated on your germination and progress as well?

I watched a youtube video today of Clive Groves demonstrating how to sow violet seed. He said that the seeds should be sown within a month of harvesting if possible. So I am going to try to sow my seeds as soon as possible after I receive them. I plan to put the seed tray on my back deck, which is covered, up next to the building. I am going to do this because you are right about the seeds needing a cold period. I am thinking about ordering Laney Bell also, because of the unusual coloring. I will also be checking the local nurseries to see if I can find any Endurio series viola plants. If not, then I will probably settle for some Sorbets as usual.

That sounds like a good plan. I really wanted the antique shades pansies to put in my boxes for this fall/winter/spring, but it seems only Burpee has them. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) they are the only things I want from Burpee, which makes them less attractive to order for me when I could dump that $$ into something where it goes further (like Well Sweep). By the way, I meant to say that Lianne had a small flower when she arrived. It had no scent though, which makes me wonder a bit. I've never had odoratas, but I was hoping for good things.

According to English author Roy Coombs the variety Lianne should be "strongly scented" Maybe the flowers lose some of their fragrance as they age. I hope that this is the case with your Lianne, instead of an accidental misidentification or substitution. I will be curious to hear whether or not the scent improves with subsequent flowering for you. Please let us know.

I will. I doubt i will see anything else this season. I looked at Groves and it seems they are mostly sold out of seeds. Sad! lol. I'm probably better off with plants anyway as I may only have 2 more years at my current location. I'll attempt to carry my violets with me, but since our next move will most likely be international, it may be a matter of carrying seeds to try to start things anew.

Groves Nursey just added a few more violets available from seed that I really want including the early blooming pink variety Josephine, the beautiful late blooming pink one Perle Rose, and the lovely mid-blue Carol Lockton.

Ohhh those are all lovely! I just ordered a few v. odorata seeds from ebay-- Queen Charlotte, Reine de Niege, and Sulphurea. The seller combined the shipping, so it wasn't a bad deal. Just lifted my gloriosa lilies from 2 pots and plan on possibly moving a few things around this weekend-- so I will be able to plant a few violets and spread some seed. I'm not sure what I want to pair with V. labradorica... an odorata or a sororia?

Hi! Quick update-- I sowed some violet seeds of varying types about 2 weeks ago... and some Sylettas have appeared. I have a couple of other small seedlings which are probably violets in other pots, but I am not as sure since they aren't variegated and showing obvious signs of being what I intended. I thought I would give the quick update. It seems the cold/warm cycles are working at least for Syletta...

Glad to hear about your germination success. I did order Josephine and Perle Rose from Groves but Carol Lockton was already out of stock.

I admire all the efforts here to grow violets from seed. I have had varied success but will keep trying. About scent in violets. Sometimes even famous 'scented' violets like 'Princess of Wales' have been disappointing for me and then- surprise- they are scented! If you pick them on a warm day, or bring them inside they seem to release their scent. Also, there is a chemical in them which dulls your sense of smell so just as you enjoy their lovely perfume, it disappears!

Oh rats. Out of stock stuff is always frustrating.

Helena-- that is interesting about the scent! I wonder if that is why perfumes distilled from violets "lose their scent" so quickly?

I've found a new, good source for viola odorata & a parma or two - it's Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek in NC. She has more inventory than Sequim or Goodwin Creek at the moment. She says she is trying to enlarge her viola odorata inventory (specifically mentioned were the Double Hardys) with seed ordered from overseas. She also has a delightful Facebook page under the same name.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek