The Violets of Golden Oak Farm

Johnny Jump-ups/Heart’s Ease in the New Herb garden

I’ve collected a lot of different violets over the years. Some hybridized right here, some I brought in. Here’s what my collection looks like.

These are the standard purple violet.

Golden Oak Farm hybridized standard violet: Purple Freckles

When I was out collecting violets for jelly last night I found this new violet. I had brought in a white Freckles violet a decade or so ago. It looks like it has crossed with the standard purple with this result.

Freckles violet

Standard white violet

Golden Oak farm hybridized striped violets

I found this new one this year also.

Sylvia violet

This Sylvia violet was created by a Master Gardener in Connecticut. So this is a brought in one.

Newfoundland violet

This Newfoundland violet was also brought in, coming from the same Master Gardener. It, unlike all other violets, is a trailing violet in that it vines and has flowers along its length. Unfortunately, it did not survive my not cleaning out its garden last year.

Yellow dogtooth violet

This violet came in with a transplanted magnolia tree. It is the only yellow violet and is not common. When the tree died, I moved this violet into the South herb garden. It lived there several years, and disappeared one spring.

Golden Oak Farm hybridized Heart’s Ease

I brought in Johnny Jump-ups/Heart’s Ease decades ago. Over the years they hybridized, losing their purple color and shrinking in size until the entire flower was a mere ⅓” long. The above are from before the shrinking in size.

Johnny Jump-up/Heart’s ease variation

Johnny Jump-up/Heart’s ease variation

So these are the early harbingers of spring here on Golden Oak Farm.