Grow a garden filled with Helen Mount, Johnny Jump Up flowers, from freshly harvested Viola cornuta seeds. Johnny Jump Up is a delightful low growing, flowering plant that is sure to bring joy to onlookers and insects alike. It’s colorful little blooms are a mixture of beautiful violet and yellow. They are known to attract an array of beneficial insects from butterflies, bumblebees, lady bugs and even hummingbirds. Viola cornuta will grow to a graceful height of only 6 to 12 inches tall and do not require much attention once established. Each flower is roughly 1 inch in diameter and don’t mind a bit of mild crowding.
The Johnny Jump Up is not only a decorative plant, but can also be seen in salads as the flowers are in fact edible. Grown as a tender perennial in warmer regions, but often as an annual in the northern states. They will grow quickly, bloom profusely and then later die with the first frost. Viola cornuta seeds can be collected at the end of the growing season to resow the following year, or you can allow the Viola flower seeds to drop to the bare ground beneath to regrow naturally.
Johnny Jump Up is best grown in masses and can be seen in a variety of settings. Often used in pots & containers, but can be grown in flower beds or used as a border plant as well. If you are a fan of Johnny Jump Up flowers, you might also want to check out our other varieties of Viola, including “Bowles Black” & “Arkwright Ruby”. We also offer a number of colorful pansies as well.
Sowing The Seed
Johnny Jump Up flower seeds can be started indoors, or directly outdoors. If started indoors, sow seeds in peat pots, 1/8” under topsoil, 6 to 8 weeks prior to the last frost. Transplant when the weather becomes warm. Direct sow outdoors by clearing the sowing area of all unwanted plant life. Turn the soil or lay down new soil in it’s place. Scatter seeds to the ground.
Growing Conditions
Johnny Jump Up Viola seeds & plants prefer an area of full sunlight in cooler regions or partial shade in warmer regions. They will tolerate a variety of soils but prefer the soil to be well drained. Water daily with a spray bottle or mist setting so that the soil is kept moist until germination has occurred. Avoid overwatering, or soaking the seeds as this can cause them to die.
Germination & Growth
Your Johnny Jump Up seeds will begin to show signs of life within 7 to 14 days after sowing. The plants will grow to a mature height of about 6 to 12 inches tall and don’t mind being a little crowded. The plants can be spaced anywhere from 4 to 8 inches apart from one another. After they are fully established, you can begin to enjoy the beautiful blooms of the Johnny Jump Up, Helen Mount.