very nice pics

Hi Scott, on a previous thread from 2012 you mentioned that your duchess de Parme had no fragrance. Did you ever figure out what was causing this? Also I just purchased my first Parma violet (and some sweet violets) this year. What do you do with it in the winter?

Hi Joshua... I never did get to the bottom of why those Duchesse de Parmes had no fragrance. The flowers from that particular plant never seemed to reach full size... And they faded after only a day or so of opening. I eventually pitched that plant, since it obviously had issues, and purchased a couple new ones. Every spring I now root the suckers that form and keep renewing my supply of plants. I keep my plants outside as long as possible in the fall. When they do come in I put them on a three season glassed in porch. They stay there until January or so and it eventually gets too cold for them there as well. However... This winter was so mild they stayed there all winter. They seemed to like that since they flowered for me right through April. In a normal winter they eventually go down my basement under fluorescent lights... And blooming ceases about late January. Then they stop producing new buds and just stay green for the rest of the winter. In spring they go outside as soon as the nights stay in the upper 30's.

Thanks for the info Scott. I just ordered my first Parma violet along with some viola odorata's. Unfortunately no flowers yet, does your Parma violet bloom through the warm season or just during winter and spring?

my plan is also to bring them into a 3 seasons breezeway for the winter. I read that they were hardy down to 0F, I would have to monitor them. My fear with bringing them inside completely is that they would be too warm and come out of their dormant period. Any thoughts on that? I do have a grow light setup that I can use with them, just worried that it would be too warm for them.

do you do anything special to root the suckers? I imagine these are like strawberries or other violets? Does the overall plant get larger also?

thanks for the tips... it's much appreciated.

Joshua... Mine only bloom in fall and winter. I think if I had a greenhouse I could entice them to bloom through the spring months. Parmas don't really have a dormant period... They are pretty much evergreen. I'm not sure about viola odorat. I have some in my garden in a rather sheltered area. They, of course, do go dormant... And they bloom for me very early in spring usually early to mid April. I believe the variety I have in the garden is Queen Charlotte. Temperature in my basement usually hovers in the low to mid 50's during the winter. Cool enough to force most of my tropicals I overwinter into dormancy.

I don't do anythIng special to root the runners. Just cut them off and pot them into 4" pots until they take root and start growing. Then I move them up to 7-8" pots. I do put a plastic humidity dome over them until they get rooted and growing.

If you are interested in the history of fragrant violets... Both odorata and Parmas... You should Google "fragrant violets Rhinebeck New York". At the turn of the century, 1900's, violets were one of the top florist flowers next to roses and carnations. Rhinebeck was the Violet Capital of the country... With up to 400 greenhouses that grew nothing but fragrant violets for the florist trade. Millions of blooms shipped cross country by train during their Nov-May bloom season. A bouquet of fragrant violets was de rigeur for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter.... And of course the opera! I can only imagine what it must have smelled like walking into one of those greenhouse!! Such a shame that today most people don't appreciate flowers for their fragrance.