Florist Mix
Historic Florist Mix Viola brings the charm of old-fashioned floristry gardens to modern landscapes. This heirloom cultivar produces cheerful blooms from March through November, with peak flowering in spring and again in fall. Growing just 8 inches tall and wide, it thrives in full sun across hardiness zone 6 and fills containers, borders, and cutting beds with color. Deer leave it untouched, and pollinators visit reliably, making it both practical and beautiful.
6-8 inches apart
Full Sun
Moderate
6-6
8in H x 8in W
Biennial
High
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These violas were selected and refined by florists who valued them for continuous bloom and cutting garden performance. The Historic Florist Mix represents generations of seed saving and careful selection for the traits that made these flowers indispensable to the floral trade. Dense, compact growth reaches just 8 inches, allowing you to pack plantings densely without crowding. Spring and fall are prime flowering seasons, though you'll see color through most of the growing year in favorable conditions.
Historic Florist Mix Viola excels in cutting gardens and floral arrangements, where its compact growth and abundant blooms made it a staple of professional florists. The flowers are prized for small bouquets, nosegays, and mixed arrangements where their delicate scale and cheerful colors add charm without overwhelming other stems. In the ornamental garden, they work beautifully in containers, front borders, and pocket plantings where their low height and continuous color create reliable visual interest.
Sow seeds indoors in late winter, planting them 1/8 inch deep in seed starting mix. Seeds require darkness to germinate, so cover them with vermiculite or use a humidity dome to block light. Keep the soil at 35-40°F for 1 to 2 weeks to chill the seeds, then raise the temperature to 65-75°F. Germination occurs within 7 to 21 days after the chill period ends.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last spring frost when soil is workable. Violas tolerate cool conditions and can go in the ground earlier than heat-loving plants. Space them 8 inches apart to allow for their mature width.
Direct sow in early spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer in warm-winter zones (8+) where violas are grown as annuals.
Cut flowers for arrangements in the morning after dew dries but before heat builds. Pinch or cut stems regularly to encourage bushier growth and more blooms; the more you harvest, the more prolifically the plants flower.
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“The Historic Florist Mix carries the legacy of commercial florists who, before the rise of industrial flower breeding, cultivated viola strains specifically for cutting and arrangement work. These violas were selected over generations for their prolific blooming, compact habit, and ability to produce long stems suitable for floral design. Unlike modern hybrid violas, this heirloom represents a convergence of practical knowledge and aesthetic preference from florists who depended on reliable, beautiful flowers for their livelihoods. The mix preserves multiple color forms and patterns that florists found most valuable for their trade.”