New Exhibition Viola – National Viola and Pansy Society

Last year at the Annual Show I took a bloom to show and ask fellow exhibitors for their opinion.

A retired Viola/Pansy breeder ,an ex President of the Society , Ian Pickup, advised that he thought it was worth keeping.

I kept it growing in its original pot , and this is the first bloom of this season.

Some years ago John Snocken , another Viola breeder of renown, bred an exhibition Viola and called it Connor Glendening (second attachment) naming it after after one of his grandsons.It was a little like this one, but I have not seen it for a few years now, and do not know whether any grower has any stock.

Will propagate from the mother plant later in the year, and try to distribute to members who might like to try it out for next season .Please let me know if interested.

It came from a Mima Walker x Lesley Keay cross – both outstanding long lived Exhibition Violas.(I still have stock from 2008 .of both )and I believe Mima Walker is one of our oldest exhibition viloas in existence……. a real good doer.

It was thought by many breeders that Mima Walker was mainly sterile as none had been able to obtain any seed from a cross. I think Ian might have managed to produce some fertile seed but suspect they might be lost by now.

This means that this plant is even more precious to me.

I would like to name it after a well known member of the Society, but have not got that person’s permission yet.

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conner glendinning