A Letter a Week: J
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 06:00AM 
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Kim from Hiraeth
For my international friends:
Johnny jump up is a name for variety of violet. They are small, cheerful flowers that are self seeding, so one plant can quickly become a large cluster of blooms the next year. Because the seeds are small and prolific, they can frequently 'jump up' in unexpected places and establish themselves in nearby flower beds. They are edible, so they make a nice garnish for desserts, especially chocolate!
Ever since I was a little girl, I've always loved all varieties of violets. They look like they have little faces, so as a child I fancied that pansies, the largest of the viola family were 'grown ups,' violets and johnny jump ups were 'children,' and the tiny wood violets that grow in the grass were 'fairies.' I would make up stories about them. Silly, eh? They still make me smile when I see them!
Reader Comments (15)
That's so pretty Kim - I love the johnny jump-ups!
Another beautiful drawing... :o)
I really like the Johnny jump ups too. Another great letter....
Always such beautiful lettering for each letter. I had a jump but no johnny.
Gosh, that's an interesting way of designing the letter J. Nice work! :D
That is very kind of you, but I have to set the record straight and tell you that I did not design that letter. It is the traditional way that the letter 'J' is rendered in that style of versal letter.
Are these violas? Yes, they are a type of violet, sometimes called heartsease.
Very pretty at any name.
Johnny jumps up to bring forth a beautiful J, lol.
Very nice post for letter "J".
I feel that my language skills are inadequate here: What is a Johnny jumps-up?
In any case - it was a very special letter!
I was looking forward to another proof of excellent calligraphy! And there it is!
delightful as always
Is there such a person or is it ficticious?
Great stuff!
Oh, not silly at all! I love violets, too! We had some wild dog violets growing in our gravel drive until one day Other Half paid one of our sons to weed it and they took out all the violets too! I was inconsolable!! They did jump up again eventually though. Tough little things, aren't they?
Lovely! I didn't know the name "Johnny Jump-Up" but it really suits the way the flowers spread everywhere. I had some in a border last year, now I even have them in a hanging basket! I don't mind - I love them!
Well I've learned something new today, a violet by the name of Johnny Jumps up....Thanks for posting.