Sweet Violet

Family:Violaceae (Violet Family)
Genus: Viola
Species: odorata

Voilà, Viola! I’ve always wanted to write that, and it’s taken me this long to find a suitable setting. There’s something spunky and springlike about the sound of the two words together…and certainly, members of the genus Viola are both spunky and reminiscent of spring. There are many species—more than 800 at last count—including pansies and all manner of violets; but in the interests of simplicity, possible reader fatigue, and taxonomic chaos, I’m only going to feature the sweet violet—Viola odorata—in this article. Perhaps it’s the association with Valentine’s Day, or maybe I’m still preoccupied with Ophelia. In any event, violets are one of the most easily recognized flowers in the world, and the sweet violet has a history of most pleasant associations, poor Ophelia notwithstanding. Shakespeare made many references to it, including two in Hamlet. Many poets, Romantic and not so, followed his lead.

Viola odorata is a perennial, as are other species within the genus (although many are grown as annuals), and it is fully hardy in our zone. It’s useful as a groundcover and does very good service in areas where there is a need to hide the yellowing foliage of spring-flowering bulbs. Unlike some of their cousins, sweet violets do well in sunny spots here, although they prefer light shade—especially in the afternoon—and they insist on moist, rich soil, no matter their sun quotient. Put them in dry soil in the hot sun, and they seem to become little magnets for red spider mites. Wherever you plant these violets, bees will delight in finding them. The sweet fragrance, remember, is not for the pleasure of the gardener, but to attract pollinators. Our native species are not fragrant, and since violets hybridize freely, you may not be able to count on your violets’ offspring remaining true. You will be able to count on them spreading, by both seed and underground runners. Not overly aggressive, they will still manage to cover a sizeable area in your woodland garden and they may tiptoe into your lawn at the edges. I think this may be because where sweet violets are happiest, lawns are not. And we’ve learned that with plants—and members of the animal kingdom as well, come to think of it—when they’re happy they thrive. When they are given less than good conditions and care, they do not. Violets appreciate a dressing of composted manure in November, along with a shearing then, to flower their best; and it is reported that the addition of bone meal to their soil, prior to planting, is beneficial as well. Some books recommend dead-heading to maintain bloom, but to me, dead-heading violets is analogous to herding cats. I prefer to gather lots of them—sweet violets, not cats—for little bouquets.

The leaves of V. odorata are dark green and noticeably heart shaped, rising as much as six inches above the basal clump. Cultivars offer choices of single or double flowers in white, pink, rose, or purple—there’s even one in apricot. The shyly showy and fragrant, but infertile, flowers appear in early spring and often again in late summer. Inconspicuous fertile flowers bloom in the summer and are seldom noticeable. Besides their charming form, the attraction of sweet violets comes from their fragrance. The most powerful scent is found in the Parma cultivars, but these are difficult to find, and only marginally hardy here.

The many common names for V. odorata—among them, garden violet, English violet, dooryard violet, and Devon violet—attest to its universal popularity. It is found in temperate regions throughout the world, and its recorded history dates back at least to ancient Greece: Athens adopted it as its symbol and, according to legend, sweet violets grew wherever Orpheus walked. Many cultures celebrate its arrival in spring and attach symbolic traits to it, ranging from humility to purity. V. odorata is considered a medicinal herb, as well as a culinary one. It contains an aspirin-like substance; its essential oil is an integral part of many perfumes; and its flowers are used to make breath fresheners. The entire plant is edible (just be sure you know what substances were applied to it before you eat it) and the flowers are rich in vitamins A and C. They are candied for use in confections and when fresh, often appear in salads, along with the leaves. So you can make a romantic salad or present them in a vase, with chocolate on the side. Your choice…either way, you’ll enjoy all the sweetness that sweet violets have to offer, in and out of the garden.