Johnny Jump-ups (or Viola cornuta) are those charming little flowers that can keep your garden looking bright and cheery almost all year long. They’re perfect for dressing up containers on your patio or acting as a colorful “living mulch” under taller perennials and shrubs. Since these tough little beauties are so easy to grow, starting them from seed yourself is a total no-brainer!
When should you start your seeds?
Because Johnny Jump-ups originally come from the chilly Pyrenees mountains, they’re actually big fans of cooler weather. You can get a head start as early as February by sowing seeds in trays in a greenhouse or on a cool windowsill. Once the threat of frost has passed in May, they’re ready to head outside. If you’d rather skip the trays, you can sow them directly in the garden anytime from March through July or August. Just a heads-up: they germinate best when it’s between 59°F and 68°F (15–20°C). If it gets too hot in the summer, the seeds might take a little nap and wait for cooler temps before they sprout.
How to sow Johnny Jump-ups
If you’re starting early in February with store-bought seeds, here’s your game plan:
- Fill shallow trays with a good quality seed-starting mix.
- Scatter your seeds, making sure not to crowd them too much.
- Don’t bury them! These guys are “light germinators,” so just press them into the soil or cover them with a very thin dusting of earth.
- Keep the soil consistently moist.
- Place the tray in a cool (around 60°F) and shady spot.
- You should see sprouts in about 14 days. Once they pop up, give them a bit more light.
- When they have their first set of “true” leaves, prick them out and move them into individual pots.
- Come May, they’re ready for their permanent home in the garden!
If you’ve harvested seeds from your own plants, there’s one extra step: stratification. Basically, you need to trick the seeds into thinking they’ve gone through a winter. Mix the seeds with a little damp sand in a baggie and keep them in the fridge for a few weeks. That “cold snap” is the secret sauce for getting them to sprout.
Store-bought vs. home-harvested seeds
If you have a specific color scheme in mind and want your flowers to look exactly like the picture on the packet, stick with store-bought seeds. These are also pre-chilled, so you can plant them right away. On the other hand, if you love a surprise, go ahead and use seeds from your own garden! Just keep in mind that they won’t be “true to type”—meaning they won’t look exactly like the parent plant. You’ll end up with a fun mix of different colors. Just don’t forget to give them that fridge time before planting!
