May 26—The long wait to see the spring woods open up and produce new wildflowers was worth it. Quickly, as snow melted, the next phase began on the same forest floor that was covered by a snowpack ...

Wild violets burst open in early spring and exhibit varying shades of white to deep purple. I have always eagerly awaited ...

Roses are red. Violets are blue. But sometimes they can be yellow, too. Or even white. Roughly 20 species of violets grow in Illinois, and many have heart-shaped leaves with five petals on blooms ...

Even if you’ve never seen violets growing wild, you probably have a mental image of them. Low-growing plants with heart-shaped leaves and pretty dark blue flowers, right? Well, that’s true for a ...

The wild violet’s dainty flowers appear March through June under cooler weather patterns and range in color from blue to light violet, and dark violet and white. North Carolina State Extension Wild ...

Sugared violets are beautifully preserved in egg whites and sugar to create a delicate, edible, flower garnish for desserts, fruit platters or cheese trays. My absolute favorite garnishes for desserts ...

The other day, I was photographing a large clump of common blue violets on a neighbor’s lawn when she remarked that they were pretty, but “mostly weeds.” I said I know that violets can be banes of ...

It often takes years of careful cross-breeding for horticulturalists to turn flowers certain colors, but scientists can dig right in and change them at a genetic level much faster. Using the ...