| We've all wished that Pansies were only as hardy as Violas, and that Violas were only as showy as Pansies . . . so imagine the excitement that greeted Skippy when it was trialed last season! Hands-down winner of the prestigious All-America Selection (the highest honor given to a seed variety in this country), this Viola cornuta looks like a Viola but has all the showy blooms, heat tolerance, and winter hardiness of a Viola! And did I mention that it REBLOOMS? One look at these flowers and you'd dismiss Skippy as a Pansy. They're fully 1 1/2 inches across (huge by Viola standards!), with base petals of bright yellow tinged with plum at the edges, and smaller top petals of rich plummy prurple. Charmingly whiskered in brown or black, these blooms arise ALL OVER this small plant, first in spring and then (if cut back after flowering) again in fall. It's a rare Viola that can survive both the cold winters and the long, hot, humid summers of the American south and southwest, but Skippy will do it -- with ease! Just 6 inches high and 8 inches wide, this evergreen groundcover simply covers itself with flowers. The blooms arise over a longer season than older V. cornuta varieties, too, giving you a few extra weeks of pleasure. Truly, Skippy is such an improvement over older varieties it might as well be a new species altogether! Skippy shows great winter hardiness (mulch it up well to help it along) and heat tolerance. This is a dependable, drop-dead gorgeous plant for garden or container. Zones 6-9. Pkt is 25 seeds. |
