Helen Mount is a cultivar of a wild plant called Jonny Jump Up These tricolour plants are very simple to grow. They bring cheer to any garden, and never fall out of favour. Violas are somewhere intermediate in size between pansies and violets. They flower for long periods from early spring to late autumn and are charming as edging and rockery plants. They grow very flat to the ground and are useful for bedding, as fillers in borders and in pots, troughs and hanging baskets. You can even add the flowers to your garden salad. They have an amazing scent that is truly memorable but has the ability to shut of your nasal receptors unless you come and go in order to recharge your nose. This makes them ideal for planting along pathways. Violas are generally more tolerant of heat and cold than pansies. They will grow in most soils and flourish in full sun or half shade. They will benefit from organic matter being added to the soil as this retains moisture. Liquid feeding and removing the spent flowers will prolong the life of the plant and the flowering period. They are best described as a very cheerful, and cheeky looking annual.
Asteraceae Tagetes patula x erecta
Aleyrodidae family
These tiny sucking insects often congregate in large colonies and are a particular problem in large greenhouses. They weaken plants by removing large quantities of nutrients and can also transmit disease.
Treat whitefly like aphids, by washing them from plants with a strong jet of water and by encouraging predators. Use soap spray or rotenone (as a last resort).
Image: Central Science Laboratory, Harpenden Archive, British Crown, Bugwood.org
