Sweet violet is a small perennial that belongs in the Violaceae family. It is a native of Eurasia, growing naturally as far east as Kazakhstan, but seems to thrive in Sydney’s climate when I see it. It is a plant that spreads by stolons, so can spread through garden beds over time. The sweet violet was a favourite plant of the Ancient Greek people, and it became a symbol of Athens.
In size each individual pant can reach te=wenty centimetres in height and thirty centimetres wide. The binomial name, Viola oderata, has the following meanings:
- Viola-Latin for the colour of violet
- Oderata-another Latin word, that means scented, after the flowers
The leaves are almost circular in shape and can reach up to seven centimetres long. Leaves sit on a petiole (leaf stalk) that can be 25 centimetres long. The leaves grow in rosettes from a central crown.
The flowers appear throughout winter here in Sydney, so they are a welcome addition to the winter garden. Sweet violet continues flowering into the spring. In colour the flowers are usually purple, but can also be white. The flowers are scented, as the binomial name suggests.
In terms of pests that are potential problems, the sweet violet can attract the following:
- Slugs
- Snails
- Violet gall midge,
- Red spider mite
- Pansy leaf spot
- Powdery mildew
The sweet violet cultivar ‘Wellsiana’ has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Sweet violet has been used for treating unspecified medical and respiratory disorders, although I cannot offer any advice on this at all-you are better going to an actual medical professional for advice on your health! The plant is apparently edible too, but I haven’t tried it.
Would I have the sweet violet in my garden? I would for a two or three of reasons. The first one is that it is a pretty little ground cover plant. The second is that sweet violet will grow to fill in any bare patches within garden beds over time. I really don’t like bare soil, so this is great for any plant as far as I’m concerned! Thirdly, I like purple flowers. Finally, they flower in winter, so there is some colour in the garden during this leaner period for flowers. The leaves are also rather attractive.
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Viola~odorata
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55845-Viola-odorata
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:868828-1
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola-odorata/