Viola Dubyana

Description

This rarely-seen or offered alpine viola has a quite spectacular, bright violet flower head, with two prominent, protruding, 'bunny rabbit ears', and a characteristic bright yellow central spot, with very little foliage to detract from your enjoyment. Amongst other loci it is found high in the Italian Alps where it grows on dry meadows and limestone screes. Surprisingly, it lends itself readily to garden cultivation, when it may gently self-seed, if you are lucky!

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts