Growing Violets and Pansies – Viola

Violets are an easy-going favorite and a happy addition to anyone’s garden. They are perhaps most memorable as a staple in cottage gardens or shady, wooded areas.

Violas make perfect ground covers as they withstand a bit of traffic with ease and are nearly crush-proof. Beginning in early spring, there seems to be no end to the flower show.

Pansies have irregular flowers with two upper petals and three lower ones. The insides of the lower petals sometimes have yellow markings and may be fuzzy. Some violas have narrower petals and some are broad and fan out brilliantly.

Meet the Viola

• AKA: violet, pansy, Johnny-jump-up
• Habit: Botanically speaking, all violas are perennials; however, they are usually treated as annuals.
• Zones: Varies by species
• Height: 1′- 2″ tall, look up by specific species.
• Spread: Undetermined amount of spread.
• Garden Specifics: Violas love moist soil, lots of organic composted material and rich humus. Fertilize in late winter for coming spring blooms. The can be divided in the fall or spring and may become invasive.
• Blooming time: late winter or early spring all the way to summer: sometimes all summer depending on the zone and species. Light to full shade.
• Colors: white, yellow, purple, cream, salmon, orange, rust, all different shades of blue and any combination of mixed colors.
• Propagation: creeping runners and self seeds

Types of Viola

There are two types of violets each with different growth habits.One type of violet doesn’t have the stem, but rather the flowers are born on a clump of rhizome. The other type produces an upright stem with both flowers and leaves, but with sparse basal leaves. However, both types grow from rhizomes.

Violets (viola spp.) or pansies make great ground covers and under-plantings for perennial beds. They prefer moist soil in semi – to fully shaded areas. Performance is at its very best for violets if the soil is rich and composty.

For scent, Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) has a sugary fragrance and comes in purple, blue and white. Some violet species have a stronger scent than others; native viola being among the most fragrant. Keep an eye out for the redwood violet (Viola sempervirens) which forms a ground cover in a woodland environment and carries a lovely scent.

Historically (we’re talking Shakespearean era), violet nosegays were carried because of their sweet fragrance, which often covered up body odor as baths weren’t as frequent at that time.

These guys are primarily self-seeders and also propagate by creeping stems, so once they are in the garden, they will grace it forever. Violets spread themselves around during the growing season by runners. When the violets have covered an area as thickly as you’d like, snip off all the runners. The reward is a tremendous show of blooms.

Varieties And Cultivars

• V. blanda – Sweet White Violet has fragrant white flowers with purple veining. Zones 1-10, 14-24
• V.pedata – Bird’s – Foot Violet has two-toned violet blue flowers and likes acididc soil. Zones 1-7.
• V.odorata – Sweet Violet is the one best known and written about even by Shakespeare. Odorata is quite fragrant but can become invasive. Zones 1-24.
• V. Adunca – Califonia Sweet Violet or Western Dog Violet is extremely fragrant and often sold as V. odorata. Zones 1-9, 14-24.
• V. Corsica– Corsican Violet has flat violet-blue flowers and tolerates extreme temperatures. Zones 2b-10, 14-24.