How do I take care of my new Violette de Toulouse?

19 years ago

Hi, I'm new to violets. I have a Violette de Toulouse from Park Nursery since early March. Their advisor told me to plant it in organic potting soil, in an 8" pot with styrofoam "peanuts" on the bottom. Since I live in San Diego (though coastal SD, 2 miles from the ocean), she told me it would be too hot for it during the summer (we are in a townhouse and have a large south-facing patio) and I should keep it by my northern kitchen window. I am to feed it every 3 weeks with a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Well, I've been doing this, and it has been putting out more leaves steadily, but a couple on the bottom appear dryish and a little brown. Do I water this violet from the top? How often? How wet should it be? Do I need to put it outdoors at night (the nights are cool here) for it to flower? Seems I've just missed the flowering season. Any advice will be so much appreciated. Thank you!

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Comments (9)

etii
19 years ago
Hello Michele !

Glad you've got a violet from France :-) Just the best ;-p
Do NOT let your violette de Toulouse inside or it's gonna die :-/ OUTSIDE, please ! Violet does not live inside a house, it needs FRESH air !
Unless it's 0Â°Celsius (32Â°Fahrenheit)cold will not be a problem at all :-) I guess living 2 miles from the ocean, it does not freeze, does it ?
Your viola likes sun too, believe me, the more it gets sun, the more it flowers. As you're living in San Diego, beware in summer: not a too hot place nevertheless and sprinkle.
If you take good care, you can have flowers in autumn :-)
Sorry for my bad English, maybe someone else with a better one will give you better advice :-) (Nathalie for example moreover she lives in Toulouse)

Take care :-)
Thierry.
michele_ca
Original Author
19 years ago
Thierry, merci beaucoup! I have it outside now. Nathalie, est-ce que vous avez des conseils pour moi? How about watering? Am I watering it too much as I have been keeping the soil damp around it? I can put it in the shade of our dwarf lemon tree (in a pot) during the summer if that is better than having it indoors. I am so excited to think about it flowering... A bientot, Michele
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nathalie
19 years ago
ChÃ¨re MichÃ¨le!

Vous avez dÃ©jÃ eu les trÃ¨s bons conseils de Thierry!!Place your parma on the northern side for summer and on the south side to enjoy the flowers and perfume during winter!
I don't think you watered too much as you have a good drainage...and leaves on the bottom are the olds ones..The important is to have the young leaves healthy...

Keep us informed of the follow up!
Cheers
michele_ca
Original Author
19 years ago
Je vous remercie, Nathalie! Je viens de voir le reportage Ã propos de l'Airbus 380. FÃ©licitations! Is every 3 weeks a good interval for feeding the violet with the fertilizer? And thank you too, Thierry, again. I love fragrant things and have roses, fraises des bois, and raspberries as well as the herb garden.
etii
19 years ago
Fragrant things: Crazy girls -> maybe that's what make you so special and lovely ;-)
Whould you like more fragrant violettes ? True ones I mean, not that kind of so called viola as sororia are ;-p : gorgeous flowers, mais rien pour le nez :-/
I have some violas witch are making some seeds (it would take a little time before it's ready)...I can share :-) non ?
N'est-ce pas Nathalie qu'on peut partager un peu (je demande l'autorisation de madame Ã¨s et violettes ;-)...j'adore les amÃ©ricains francophones :-)))
nathalie
19 years ago
Un vrai rÃ©gal!Et vive l'airbus A380 mÃªme si...
OK pour inonder la planÃ¨te de graines de violettes biensÃ»r!

Tout dÃ©pends de la dose pour la fertilisation...En gÃ©nÃ©ral prÃ©voir jusqu'Ã 2 gramme par pot par semaine si les plants sont assez dÃ©veloppÃ©s...ou 1 gramme s'il s'agit de jeunes plants...

Bonne culture
~*
michele_ca
Original Author
19 years ago
Oh, je voudrais bien avoir des graines de violettes! C'est bien gentil de vous, Thierry! Si on inonde la planÃ¨te de graines de violettes, il n'y aurait peut-Ãªtre plus de guerres... mais c'est un beau rÃªve! Merci beaucoup, Nathalie! La soeur de mon mari arrive demain d'Allemagne avec son ami et j'ai beaucoup Ã faire dans la cuisine! A bientot, bonne nuit!
shirley1941
14 years ago
we live in Normandy, France. I have a Toulouse Violet which I plan to keep it in a pot on the patio. Will that be ok? It can be quite warm not always sunny.

shirley
stefanb8
14 years ago
That should be just fine -- I've kept a Parma in a pot for several years here in the hot, humid, sunny summers of Washington, DC. The more consistent shade you can give it the better (a larger plant would work well) and needless to say cloudy days are your best friend; be careful to water before it wilts too far without keeping the plant wet all of the time, and always be on the lookout for spider mite damage.

If you see evidence of the mites, you'll need to spray the plants thoroughly (especially under all of the leaves), and hopefully you can obtain the correct horticultural spray oil (the summer type, which is even more ultra-refined than the winter version, which can harm plants when sprayed on foliage during the warm season). A second spray will need to be applied one week after the first to kill the newly-emerged hatchlings, and that should take care of the problem for a good while. This is a safe, non-toxic solution to the mites if they occur.

I've often taken mine in and overwintered it in the refrigerator once it gets too cold outside (low 20s Fahrenheit over night seem to be their natural limit to avoid permanent damage without some protection), but I have also noticed that keeping the plant enclosed in plastic guards against the desiccation injury that I used to think was simple cold damage. Even putting it into a clear plastic bag with the top left partly open is much better than no protection at all; it's mostly important to maintain high humidity around the plant when the temperature drops significantly below freezing, and I believe this is precisely how cold frames keep the plants happy during the winter's coldest weather, in combination with the added warmth and protection of being rooted in the ground, of course.

Stefan

How do I take care of my new Violette de Toulouse?

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How do I take care of my new Violette de Toulouse?

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etii

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