Violas

Pansies, wild pansies, johnny-jump-ups, heartsease, violets (sweet, native and otherwise); there are LOTS of Violas that, at a glance, all sort of blend into a cacophony of happy, sweet little flowers, with petals that look like tiny faces staring up at you. Let’s break it down.

Pansy

We’ll start with pansies. Typically, garden pansies refer to the larger flowered hybrids that fill many an old fashioned window box. They come in lots of colours, from white to yellow to red to purple and can be single- or multi-coloured, often with a darker centre, and have varying degrees of ruffles and layering of petals. The name pansy is said to have derived from the French word pensée which means ‘thought’ - perhaps because the flowers are like little faces with their heads bowed in thought.

More pansies

Wild pansies (Viola tricolor), also known as Johnny-jump-ups and heartsease (or ‘heart’s ease’) are one of the ancestors of the hybrid garden pansy. They mostly come in combinations and of purple and yellow and are native to Europe. They can self seed prolifically (with up to 50 seeds in each seed pod), but due to their small root system will die off when conditions aren’t right and reappear (or jump-up!) when better weather prevails. Because they have such little root systems, I like adding them to the tops of my fruit tree pots; they die off in summer but return the next year when it’s cooler. Like all violas, they are edible and the name heart’s ease gives credit to their use in folk medicine to treat conditions of the heart.

Self seeded Violas in my fig tree pot (and a chicken photo-bomb..)

Still in the Viola family are violets - two of the more common species being sweet violets (Violet odarata) and our own native violets (Violet hederacea), both which prefer a damp shady spot and are perennial, though will also often die back and re-shoot depending on the conditions. Sweet violets have blue-purple coloured flowers, and their flowers are often hidden under the foliage. Native violets have white/mauve flowers and hold their heads high.

Native violets (not my garden! I have tried but “shady and damp” does NOT describe my sandy soil yet.)

Regardless of the type, all are cute surprises when they pop up in the garden and can’t help but make you smile :)