Viola odorata var. rosea
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Viola odorata var. rosea• Click here to visit our Main Plant List page for current availability of this plant
• common name: viola
• flowering season: early spring, fall
• height: 4 inches
• Light requirements: partial shade
• Soil requirements: average soil that is well drained
• Water requirments: moisture in spring, less moisture during summer
• Growth habit: low and creeping
• How to propagate: from seeds or by separating a side-shoot
• Leaf type: green and heart shaped
• Ways to use it: in a woodland garden, on the shady side of a house, or potted
• Special characteristics: it blooms for a very long time in the garden
• Other points of interests: sweetly scented flowers
We had this fragrant viola ten years ago. And I (Roger) thought we had lost it due to my neglect. Because it seemed to perpetuate itself from year to year without any attention I didn't do anything to help guard against its loss, such as planting it in more than one location or pampering it with fertilizer. Several years ago, the spot where it grew seemed to be completely empty of it. Other violas had moved in to occupy its space. And we gave up hope on its survival. A happy discovery this month of March, 2011, is finding a large plant of it in flower. The weather on that day was very cool. Getting on my hands and knees to see if its flowers were scented led me to think it was not the same pink viola we used to have, because there didn't seem to be any scent to the blossoms. However, it was potted up into a large clay pot and brought into a greenhouse. The warmth of the greenhouse made a difference, bringing out a strong, sweet fragrance to the flowers. USDA Zones 3 - 9.