J - Jumpin' Johnny

 J is a weak letter as far as my flowers.  I tried to grow Jerusalem sage with pretty yellow blooms, but it didn't take.  Joe Pye weed is a great pollinator plant, but too big for my use.  I used to have jasmine (star jasmine) in CA, but if I have a photo I have yet to find it.  So, I am pushing the J by using a viola called Johnny Jump-up.

 Johnny Jump-Up

A Johnny Jump-up is a viola, but not all violas are Johnny Jump-ups. You may hear them called wild pansies, as they are native wildflowers in Spain and the Pyrenees.  The look like tiny pansies.  I do not like pansies, their petals are too large and floppy, but I love violas.  I grew these Johnny Jump-ups from seed last year, and while I have new seeds, the pots are full of volunteers so it wasn't necessary.

Johnny Jump-ups are perfect annuals for containers, even small ones like the one below.  Isn't that an adorable planter?



If I thought J was sparse, K isn't any more in number, although it won't stretch the letter!
 

 

Comments

  1. They are such pretty and delicate looking little flowers. I do love the adorable little planter too. Have a great weekend Lisa. :)

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    1. They are so tiny and sweet. Mine aren't blooming yet this year, but the plants are getting there.

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  2. Replies
    1. You reminded me that I've heard the term "Jolly Jonquil!"

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  3. When I first bought my house, there were Johnny Jump Ups all over the lawn. We don't have them anymore, but I buy violas every year and make a hanging basket with them. I did that yesterday, in fact, so great minds! I love them, and, I admit, I like pansies, too. Neither of them survive summer out here, but I love them for their earliness.

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    1. Some people do plant them, and bulbs in their lawns. I don't see that, in order to bloom you can't mow your lawn! I don't have any grass in my front yard, and the back can't really be called "lawn" even in a stretch! You can cut them down when they get leggy in the summer, and maybe they'll come back.

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  4. Funny how some letters that should be easy aren't. (And how some letters that shouldn't be easy are.)

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  5. Jerusalem sage...I have two, Lloyd's Variety. Supposed to be 3x3 but on their way to twice that. The leaves have a powdery coating that comes off into the air at the slightest touch and when I prune them I am in an agony of coughing. I'll trade you for the Johnny Jump Ups!!!

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    1. Ooooh! I'm glad then! They sound terrible!

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  6. Replies
    1. I have no idea who named it, or who Johnny was, but the why is easy. It jumps up taller than other violas, it has longer stems. I only just realized I should have posted I on Saturday, not this one!

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  7. Funny I know a musician named Jumpin' Johnny

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    1. That's hilarious! With a name like Jumpin' Johnny he must play something really jazzy and fast.

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