Guide to growing Sweet Violet - Viola odorata

Viola odorata are hardy perennials that range from 10 to 20cm in height.

They bloom from winter through to spring when they carry fragranced violet, purple or white flowers on stems.

Foliage is of heart shaped leaves. Sweet Violet is a common name for Viola odorata.

How to grow Sweet violet

It is best to grow sweet violets from seed outdoors. The sweet violet seeds should be sown into flats in the autumn and lightly covered. Then sink the flat into a shady part of the garden and cover with glass; keep the soil moist. It should take from one to two months for sweet violet to germinate. Transplant the young plants with a spacing of 15 to 20cm into a partially shady area of the garden after the last frost of spring. The soil that the viola is planted in should be organically enriched. Additionally Sweet violets like a soil that is of pH 5.5 to 7, deep and moist.

Caring for sweet violet

It is fairly easy to care for sweet violets; they like a moist soil so supply with a mulch and water them regularly. At the start of spring give them a feed using a liquid fertilizer. Once flowering has finished cut back sweet violet to the ground.