Please note that when plants are available they are often shipped bare-rooted and approximate a 9cm pot unless otherwise specified, but since they are normally sourced from the garden to order, sizes do vary a little, depending on how they come out of the ground.

Viola 'Blackjack'

Viola

Type/Hardiness Herbaceous, Perennial, Annual, Hardy Flowering period May-August Height 9-12in/22-30cm Light preference Full sun/part shade Soil preference Any, well drained Sowing time/depth Autumn, Spring, barely cover

This is probably a cross between Bowles' Black and a standard viola. Still, it is rich in colour and produces masses of small, midnight-blue flowers with yellow eyes. Very useful for front of border or in containers and hanging baskets. Cut back after first flush of flowering to encourage new shoots. Although strictly speaking a perennial, best grown as a half-hardy annual.

Sowing and/or growing instructions

Either sow direct in autumn or sow thinly in a pot of moist compost, covering with a fine layer of compost or vermiculite and storing in the fridge for three weeks, then move into a greenhouse at 58-65F (do not exclude light), potting on germinated seeds into individual pots of good quality, well drained compost. Acclimatise to outside conditions before planting out in final positions.