Ornamental · Violaceae
Viola
Viola cornuta
Give them a cool season to settle in and violas keep handing you armfuls of edible blooms from fall right through spring.
Full sun
39–70°F · 4–21°C
USDA 6–11
6–10 in · 15–25 cm
Overview
If a viola is your first flower, you have chosen kindly. This member of the violet family grows low and softly tufted, scattering small blooms in almost any color you might wish for. It settles happily along a bed edge, in a window box, or across a container, and it truly asks for very little in return.
The name viola covers a big, friendly family of close relatives. The bedding kinds carry masses of little flowers, the larger pansies are the very same genus in fancier dress, and the wild Johnny-jump-up sprinkles its tricolor faces and seeds itself around with no help from you. One habit ties them together and shapes their whole year: they live for cool weather and gently bow out once summer turns hot.
Take heart, because these are forgiving plants that suit a nervous beginner well. Offer steady moisture, a place in the sun or a little shade, and the odd snip of tired flowers, and they bloom for months on end. Better still, the flowers are edible, so the same little plant filling your beds can brighten a dinner plate.
Care
The short version: give violas full sun to part shade, keep the rich, well-drained soil steadily moist, feed a little once a month, and pinch off the faded flowers, and they keep the cool-season color coming.
Light
Violas are happiest in full sun through the cool months, and they take partial sun or partial shade with equal grace. When the weather begins to warm, a spot with a little afternoon shade helps them carry on that much longer.
Water
Aim to keep the soil steadily moist but never waterlogged, and your violas will thank you. Soggy ground leads quickly to crown and root rot, so water gently and let any extra drain freely away.
Soil
Give them moist, fertile, well-drained soil enriched with plenty of organic matter and they settle in beautifully. The one thing to steer clear of is waterlogged ground, which the roots simply cannot cope with.
Temperature
These are cool-season charmers, at their very best between 39°F to 70°F (4°C to 21°C). They take a light frost in their stride but will stretch and tire once the summer heat arrives.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity suits violas just fine, so there is no figure to fuss over. What matters far more is good airflow, since crowded, damp leaves can invite downy mildew.
Feeding
Feed lightly across the growing season, roughly once a month, using a balanced fertilizer. Go gentle with the nitrogen, which encourages leafy growth at the cost of the flowers you are hoping for.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent blooms now and then and your plant keeps flowering far longer. The Johnny-jump-up kinds happily reseed themselves, so leave a few flowers in place if you would love some volunteers next year.
Size & spacing
Violas stay low and neat, reaching 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) tall and spreading 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across. That gentle, compact size makes them perfect for edging, window boxes, and pots.
When to plant
Violas live for the cool stretches of the year rather than high summer, and that makes their timing easy to get right. Start seed indoors in late winter or sow it outdoors in late summer, tuck young plants out in early spring or fall while the air is still cool, and enjoy months of flowers through spring and fall, with blooms often lasting the winter in the mild zones 6 through 11.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting out in cool weather
- Plant: Early spring or fall while temperatures are cool
- Harvest: Spring and fall in cool weather; may persist over winter in mild climates and declines in summer heat
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–11
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most viola worries come down to one of two things, soggy soil or the heat of summer, and both are easy to spot early. Watch the leaves and flowers for the first small signs and you can usually help a plant before any real harm is done. Find what matches below, then step in gently while it still makes a difference.
Plants wilt and topple with a blackened base
When soil stays wet for too long, crown and root rot takes over and a plant can collapse almost overnight. Lift one and the roots feel mushy and discolored, with a rotted patch right at the soil line. Sadly an affected plant cannot be saved, so remove it, put the drainage right before you replant, and let the watering can rest a while.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected plants
- Improve drainage before replanting
- Reduce watering frequency
Ragged holes in leaves or soft, curling new shoots
Two small pests enjoy the same cool, damp weather your violas love. Slugs rasp ragged holes after dark and leave a shiny trail, while aphids gather on the tender shoots and twist the young buds. Pick the slugs off by hand or set out a few traps, wash the aphids away with a firm jet of water, and only turn to insecticidal soap if a colony really takes hold.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs or use traps and barriers
- Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water
- Apply insecticidal soap to heavy aphid infestations
Yellow patches above with soft gray fuzz below
This is downy mildew, which moves in when the air stays cool, wet, and humid. Turn a spotted leaf over and you will find a grayish to purple fuzz creeping beneath the yellow blotches. Pick off the affected leaves, open up the planting so air can move through, and keep the foliage dry by watering low and early in the day.
Fix:
- Remove and discard infected foliage
- Improve air circulation and reduce leaf wetness
- Avoid overhead watering
Leggy, sparse growth as summer warmth builds
Violas are cool-season plants at heart, so summer heat stretches their stems and thins the flowers once the warm weather truly settles in. A gentle shearing with a little deadheading can tease out one last flush, and afternoon shade with steady moisture buys them a bit more time. In most gardens the kindest move is to lift them, plant summer annuals in their place, and set out fresh violas come fall.
Fix:
- Deadhead and shear lightly to encourage rebloom
- Provide afternoon shade and consistent moisture
- Replace with summer annuals once spent
Toxicity
You can relax completely here, because violas are safe from top to bottom. The ASPCA lists the plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and the flowers are edible for people too, so these are a lovely, worry-free choice for any home where pets and children roam.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Perfectly safe around cats. A curious nibble of leaf or flower will not cause any poisoning at all.
Dogs None
Nothing to fear with dogs. The plant is non-toxic, so an inquisitive chew does no harm.
Horses None
Listed as non-toxic to horses, so a graze near a planting is entirely fine.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can enjoy the leaves and flowers without any trouble whatsoever.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze around violas with nothing to worry about.
Birds Safe
Garden birds and backyard poultry can peck at the plant in complete safety.
People Safe
The flowers are edible and a much-loved garnish, so the whole plant is safe for people, little ones included.
Varieties
There are hundreds of violas to fall for, but a handful of series and old favorites keep coming back year after year. These are the friendly few worth knowing by name as you begin.
'Sorbet' series
A compact, free-flowering bedding viola bred for good cold tolerance and early blooms across a wide sweep of colors.
'Penny' series
A small-flowered viola loved for the steady, vigorous way it performs right through spring and fall.
Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor)
A little tricolor sweetheart in purple, yellow, and white that self-sows freely and naturalizes gently around the garden.
'Etain'
A fragrant, more perennial viola carrying soft creamy-yellow flowers edged with lavender.
How to propagate
Violas are generous about multiplying, so there is no need to feel daunted, whether you raise them from a seed packet, gently split an old clump, or coax a few cuttings to root.
SeedEasy
Sow indoors 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting in cool weather, or direct sow in late summer for fall and spring bloom · 6 to 10 weeks to transplant size
Seed is the everyday way in, and it could not be gentler. Start it indoors 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to move plants out into cool weather, and allow 6 to 10 weeks for them to reach transplant size, or simply direct sow in late summer for fall and spring flowers. The Johnny-jump-up types do the job for you, self-sowing freely once they have settled in.
DivisionEasy
Spring or fall · A few weeks
Established perennial clumps split easily in spring or fall, so do not be shy about it. Lift a clump, ease it apart into sections, and replant them, and the divisions settle in within a few weeks.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Spring or early summer · 3 to 4 weeks to root
Cuttings ask for a slightly steadier hand, though nothing beyond a beginner. Snip tip or basal cuttings from non-flowering shoots in spring or early summer, and they root in around 3 to 4 weeks.
Myths
Violas and pansies are just the same plant.
They are close cousins sharing one genus, yet they are not quite interchangeable. The viola types, the Viola cornuta group, carry many more little flowers and cope with a touch more heat, while pansies trade that abundance for a few far larger blooms. Reach for violas when you want a longer, sturdier show, and pansies when size is what you are after.
Viola flowers are not safe to eat.
The blooms are genuinely edible and appear again and again as a pretty garnish on plates and cakes. The plant is listed as non-toxic right across the board. Both the flowers and the plant are safe, so you can grow them freely wherever people and pets share the space.