“Complimentary Colors” – Spring 2013 – Frick Park – Pittsburgh, PA – These violets were growing together in the same patch… I wanted to photograph them together… But none were close enough… So I made them close enough…
“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…
Seven Days of Spring Wildflowers
I personally prize violets… Especially the yellows… And the whites… I seek them out in the early days of spring… Something about them reminds me of life… They remind me that brighter skies are ahead…
Viola is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae… It contains between 525 and 600 species… Most being found in the Northern Hemisphere… But a few are found other places…Some Violas are perennial… Some are annuals… Hell… Some are even small shrub… In Horticulture the term “pansy” is normally used for those multi-colored cultivars that are raised annually and used extensively in bedding… The term “Viola” and “Violet” are normally reserved for small-flowered annuals and perennials included in the species…
Violets transplant relatively easily… Depending on your beliefs… They are often considered weeds… They are often considered a problem in lawns… Though I don’t know why… Violet blossoms are edible… They taste slightly sweet…I like them… The young leaves are also edible… Very bland… Though varieties are now being bred for flavor… Including “Rebecca” which is a vanilla flavored cultivar…
“Stuck in the Middle with Blue” – Spring 2013 – Jeannette Street – Wilkinsburg, PA
Violets are known to have a “flirty” scent as its fragrance comes and goes… Lonone is present in the flowers… Which turns off the ability of humans to smell the fragrant compound for moments at a time…
Violets show promise as a future “Super medicine” as they are called here in the states… A bunch of promising antioxidants have been discovered… And more are being found on a regular basis… I’d be willing to bet we will one day see it on the shelves next to the “Super Fruit” juices marketed all over the place… As with any other natural medicine… Do your own research… And draw your own conclusions…
plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello
New To writing and never had to site sources before… These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring… My source is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information… But much of this is just related from the web…
This website and all of the information presented within is provided free by the author… Me… It is my sole opinion and is not representative of anyone other than myself… Although this website is free… I sell prints of my photography here – www.society6.com/chriscondello – or you can contact me directly with questions at – c.condello@hotmail.com – Although it isn’t a requirement… It helps…
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chriscondello 
I too adore violets, wish I had more in my yard. I always plant some johnny jump ups in my orchard area and have pansies in pots on my front steps.
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I love violets. I love the scent, the culinary uses, the possibilities and I love that they seem to grow really well in our local conditions (so long as they can find a bit of shade). I can’t get my head around them being “weeds”. I will trade my spear thistles for anyone elses violets ANY day! 😉
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Right… I got a few “true weeds” to trade as well…
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