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cutting back violets?

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Posted by isabeauv z7 SW OR (My Page) on
Sat, Jun 21, 03 at 1:16

i have planted some violets which have some shade, and some sun (this time of year, the sun, when they have it, can be intense...a few have gotten a little fried).

while i have watered them and seen them perk back up, it seems to me that many of them are rather tall given the size of their blossoms...

i can't find info on cutting back violets so that they aren't so leggy the next time they bloom...should i just deadhead the spent blossoms, or actually cut down the green part of the plant?

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RE: cutting back violets?

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I have a large stand of Viola striata. Around the middle of October, I run the lawn mower over the entire patch. It seems to benefit the plants and in the Spring, they come back with good foliage and grow vigorously. We live in Baltimore, MD. Our first frost is usually mid-October.
Here is a link to the photo of about 1/3 of my Viola striata planting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Viola striata in the Spring.

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RE: cutting back violets?

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The best course of action depends on what species you have. Some are naturally tall, like V. canadensis, so cutting down would be pointless. In general, deadhead the spent blossoms anyway. Only then consider cutting the foliage back. Chances are it will not make next year's flowers any shorter, though. It may, however, be an effective way of solving severe infestations of foliar pests such as red spider mite. Also, as Jill Ann says, removing the foliage seldom does much real harm, so long as the plants are in adequate soil and so long as the crown or rhizome is not destroyed. Man might do that with a lawn mower, shears or secateurs; but nature does it also - with browsers' jaws and teeth.

  
 

 

 


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