The first of this spring’s crop of Johnny Jump-ups (Viola Tricolor) has started to bloom. I am a bit perplexed to explain how it made its way into a pot, a good 12 inches above the

ground. I never planted it there. In fact, I never planted them anywhere. Johnny Jump-ups just appeared mysteriously in my garden several years ago and have spread…with my complete approval. I don’t think the pink Flower Carpet rose (Rosa x ‘Noatraum’) in the pot will mind; it’s not likely to be crowded out.

I do understand that this little charmer self seeds…rather prodigiously, thanks to the bees that pollinate them.  Evidence of that can be seen in the number of patches of Johnny Jump-ups appearing throughout my garden beds. I can only assume that the finches or wrens poking about ingested a seed and passed it along to my rose pot.

When they first appeared in the garden, I thought they were weeds and studiously picked them out. A few weeks absence to visit my granddaughter, however, gave them time to bloom and show me their smiling faces. I learned to identify them in pre-bloom stage and now just let them have their way. They spread a heaping amount of joy.