Horned violet

Horned violet: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, loose clump about 15 cm tall and 30 cm wide, with creeping stems.

Leaves

Oval, scalloped and fresh green.

Flower

Violets of 2–4 cm on long stalks, with a long, slender spur at the back.

Colour

Lilac-blue, purple, white, yellow and bicoloured.

Lifespan

Fairly short-lived: renew after a few years.

Flowering: April–October · Harvest and fruit: April–September · Sowing: February–March · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: July

Why grow it?

• Flowers from April to October: one of the longest-flowering perennials.
• Bees visit the flowers.
• The flowers are edible and look pretty in salads and on cakes.
• Low and loose: ideal as underplanting for roses and at the front of the border.
• Hardy to about −20 °C and easy to propagate.

Horned violet: where does it grow best?

• Sun or light partial shade; in a hot, dry spot flowering is shorter.
• Fertile, humus-rich loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Evenly moist: do not let it dry out in summer, and avoid standing water in winter.
• Plant 20–25 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Roses: A classic underplanting that covers the bare base of the roses.
• Lady’s mantle: Soft green leaves and yellow sprays beside the violets.
• Hardy geranium: Also long-flowering, in similar colours.
• Tulips: In spring the violets are already flowering beneath the tulips.

Horned violet: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole a little larger than the rootball and mix in compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot, 20–25 cm apart, and firm in.
4. Water in at once and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.
5. A thin layer of compost around the plants keeps the soil cool and moist.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells, ideally in the morning at the base.

Feeding

In March a thin layer of compost; after the July cut-back, a little more compost or organic fertiliser.

Deadheading

Remove spent flowers regularly and it will keep flowering for months.

Pots

In pots water more often and give a flowering-plant feed every two weeks from May to August.

Renewing

Older clumps get thin and flower less: renew them every two or three years by division or cuttings.

Tip: Pick flowers for the kitchen in the morning, when they are fresh, and only use plants that have not been sprayed.

Horned violet: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July.

When: In July, when the plant gets long and floppy. During flowering, remove spent blooms regularly.

How:

• Cut the whole plant back to a few centimetres above the ground.
• Then water and give a little compost.
• After a few weeks it regrows fresh and flowers again into autumn.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow indoors in February–March at 15–20 °C; cover the seed lightly. It also self-seeds, but named varieties do not always come true.

Cuttings

In July–August: 5 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots at the base, in moist cutting compost in a shady spot.

Division

In March–April or September: lift older clumps and split them into pieces with roots.

Horned violet: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• Leave the foliage in autumn; it protects the heart of the plant.
• In pots: stand the pot against a wall and make sure it does not sit in water.
• It is a fairly short-lived perennial: renew it after a few years.

Diseases and pests

• Slugs: They eat leaves and flowers, especially in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds. Spray them off with water or let ladybirds do the job.
• Powdery mildew: A white film on the leaves in dry summers. Water at the base and cut off affected parts.
• Long, floppy plant: Common in midsummer. Cut back to a few centimetres in July and give compost.

Through the year

• February: Sow indoors at 15–20 °C.
• March: Plant. Give compost. Divide clumps.
• April: Flowering starts. Plant.
• May: Remove spent flowers. Watch out for slugs.
• June: Full bloom. Water in dry spells.
• July: Cut back long, floppy plants. Take cuttings.
• August: New flowers. Water in dry spells.
• September: Plant and divide old clumps.
• October: Last flowers. Plant.

Edible and useful

Flowers (April–September)

Pick the flowers from April to September as soon as they open; the more you pick, the longer the plant flowers. They taste mild, slightly sweet and fresh, and are above all pretty: on salads, soup, cakes, in ice cubes or on bread with soft cheese. The flowers of horned violets and garden pansies are edible too.

Storing

Pick the flowers just before use; in a box with a damp piece of kitchen paper they keep for a day in the fridge. You can also press or crystallise them, like sweet violets.

Caution: The flowers are edible in normal amounts; do not eat too many at once, as the plant contains saponins. Do not eat the seeds or roots. Use flowers from plants that have not been sprayed: let garden-centre pansies grow on for a few weeks first.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Spring salad with heartsease (Dish · 4 people · 15 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Cornuta means ‘horned’: it refers to the long spur at the back of the flower.
• Many small-flowered garden violas are hybrids in which the horned violet played a part.
• The flowers are edible and look lovely in salads, on cakes or frozen into ice cubes.