Backyard Gardening

By Kathryn Dorman

I have a special place in my heart for any purple flower, and wild violets (Viola spp.) have always seemed so petite and elegant to me. According to Purdue University, turf managers collectively refer to the common blue violet (Viola sororia), confederate violet (Viola sororia forma priceana), and wooly blue violet (Viola papilionacea) as wild violets (https://turf.purdue.edu/wild-violets/). Although the confederate violet has white flowers with purple veins, the other two species usually have purple flowers. Many resources lump all three of these species together as Viola sororia.

One person’s treasure can be another’s trash. Or, botanically speaking, one gardener’s revered flower can be another’s reviled weed. The wild violet is a good example for this conundrum. It is a perennial broadleaf plant that seems to be growing everywhere: in and along my vegetable garden (See Photo 1), in my iris beds, in my lawn, even in an old metal pipe (see Photo 2)! I find myself being torn between wanting to keep the violets, and wanting something else to grow in their stead.

Wild violets abound for several reasons. According to Penn State Extension, they are easily spread by underground stems, or rhizomes, which are difficult to control. If you try to dig up a rhizome, and leave behind even a tiny piece, the plant can grow back from it. Violets also produce two different kinds of flowers, which form seeds at different times of the season. One type of flower blooms from April to August. These showy flowers attract (and are sometimes pollinated by) insects, or the blooms can self-pollinate. The other type of flower is found at the base of the plant, and matures later in the summer. These flowers never open, and are thus always self-pollinated. They produce most of the plant’s seeds (https://extension.psu.edu/underused-native-plants-common-blue-violets).

Considering how prolific violets are, I have often wondered whether they are native or introduced. Indeed, wild violets are native in most of the lower 48 states. In 2018, the Native Plant Society of New Jersey (NPSNJ) named Viola sororia ‘Native Plant of the Year.’ Violets are survivors. “The violet is extremely adaptable, thriving in sun to shade under dry to moist conditions.” It also tolerates very poor, acidic, gravelly, or clay soil (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/82816-Viola-sororia).

The species name, sororia, means ‘sisterly,’ in reference to its relationship to other violet species. The distinctive perfume of violets is often mentioned in Regency romance novels, which are set in early nineteenth-century England. This has always confused me, because the violets growing in my yard lack any remarkable scent.

According to North Carolina State University (NCSU) it turns out that the English, or sweet violet (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola-odorata) is very similar to Pennsylvania’s common blue violet (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola-sororia). The exception is that V. odorata has a distinctive fragrance.

European (sweet) violets are native to Europe, but have been introduced in the United States. In fact, in the early 1900’s, the entire town of Rhinebeck, in Dutchess County of upstate New York, got involved in growing V. odorata in greenhouses. They shipped sweet violets by train to New York City and other areas (NPSNJ). It is likely that some sweet violet seeds or plant cuttings escaped into natural settings. Central Pennsylvania isn’t all that far away from New York. If you’re out there smelling the violets, and they smell sweet, then they’re probably NOT native violets!

Violets belong to the Violaceae family, which includes American and European violets, violas, and pansies. Both the leaves and flowers of violets are less than ten inches tall. The flowers have five petals: two angled up, two angled out sideways, and a wider petal, pointed down. The two side petals have slender white hairs. These keep rain water from getting into the reproductive flower parts and diluting the nectar. The lower petal has purple veins, which act as nectar guides (landing strips) for insects. The flowers grow singly on thin, leafless stems, which are curved downward behind the flowers. Perhaps this is why the violet is associated with shyness, as when a person is called a “shrinking violet.” The flowers grow right above the glossy, heart-shaped leaves, which have rounded teeth on their margins. The leaves often grow in a rounded rosette formation (NCSU).

Back in the 70’s, I used to draw violets in the margins of my high school notebooks. My affinity for all things purple might be genetic. Purple was a favorite color for both of my grandmothers, and it rates high among my only sister’s preferred hues. My Dad’s mother, Grandma Eyer, must have especially liked violets; she even named her firstborn daughter ‘Violet!’ Both Grandma and Aunt Vi are gone now, but when I see violets, I think of them.

Violets make beautiful nosegay bouquets. Violet corsages were often worn by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and other women of note. The wild violet is so popular that it is the state flower of New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin (NPSNJ). Violet leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked as greens. The pretty flowers can be made into candies and jellies. Sugared violets have often been used to decorate cakes and pastries.

Perhaps the wild violet’s most important wildlife value is its role as a host plant for the caterpillars of many species of fritillary butterflies. In the spring, violets may also be visited by native bees and other pollinators. The seed capsules are readily eaten by doves, turkeys, bobwhite quail, and white-footed mice. Ants will also feed on the fatty structure surrounding each seed, leaving the hard-coated seed behind in their burrows to grow into a new plant (NPSNJ).

By definition, an invasive plant is one that is non-native to an area. It can grow and spread quickly, disrupting plant communities, and causing economic or environmental harm. Wild violets cannot be considered invasive, since they are native to Pennsylvania. Wild violets do sometimes tend to crowd out other plant species, but how much economic or environmental damage is caused by this crowding? In many cases, it’s a matter of aesthetic opinion. Perhaps the wild violet’s growth habits could be embraced, as a low-maintenance, native groundcover or in a rock garden. This could actually benefit both landscapes and ecosystems. I’m thinking that I should leave most of the violet plants alone that are growing in my yard. I might even start actively using them as a ground cover to replace even less desirable weeds. I personally would like to see even more little purple flowers all over my property!

Kathryn Dorman has been a Penn State Extension certified Master Gardener of Clinton County since 2017. She can be reached at clintonmg@psu.edu, or through the Clinton County Master Gardener Hotline at (570) 858-0198.