Johnny Jump Up!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our EIGHTH round! Some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "J".

Perhaps you might know these flowers as the viola cornuta?

 

This image is courtesy of Public Domain Pictures. I was looking for public domain images of this flower since I haven't grown them in a while and have no images of my own. Nice place to go look for images that won't get you into copyright trouble!

OK, back to the flower. I've always known them as Johnny Jump Up but perhaps in your neck of the woods they are called something else. The formal name is the viola cornuta. These are really easy to grow if you live in a zone that they grow in (3-9). I love throwing caution to the wind and use the broadcast method with the seeds. Literally, I broadcast them over the soil where I want them to grow. And then put a thin layer of soil over that. They brighten up any area they are planted in and will re-seed themselves. Since they are not a perennial, you need to re-seed every year. Another bonus to having this in your garden other than the wonderful profusion of color is that the flowers are edible (unless you use pesticides and other chemicals in the area it grows in). A quick and easy way to decorate a cupcake or a cake. Or, even a salad or as a garnish to a dinner plate.

Doing "J" is hard this time around. Mostly because I, and all of you have Japan on our minds. Watching helplessly in horror with each event that unfolds...it jars the emotions and the senses. Wondering what will come next. 

You can donate to the Red Cross specifically to Japan here. There are also some other bloggers who are not only united in prayer towards Japan, but also donating money to Japan for each comment left on their site. Much like a personal pledge. You can find out who these humanitarians are at Rebecca's blog.