What should you consider when growing horned violet? Where and how is it best to plant it? How to use in landscape design? Let's talk about this and more in more detail.
Why is the horned violet so attractive? Here are just some of its advantages:
- magnificent flowers of various colors,
- early flowering, begins in May,
- long flowering - from May to September,
- good adaptability to cold weather,
- rarely affected by disease
What kind of plant is this
Horned violet (Viola cornuta) is a perennial plant belonging to the violet family. Different species reach a height of 8 to 25 cm. Delicate flowers with a pleasant aroma, measuring from 2.5 to 5 mm, with elongated petals, similar to small moths, form elegant cushion-shaped bushes, and over time they turn into entire mats.
The violet acquired its name because at the back of the flower there is a process, a spur, similar to a horn. Although some modern hybrids of horned violet do not have this spur.
It has been grown as an ornamental plant since 1776.
The plant has a creeping and branched rhizome, due to which it grows actively . Just a few plants in a year can form a dense clump of 2 square meters. meters. Each horned violet bush has several dozen (up to 60) flowers and buds.
Horned violet flowers are solitary, located on long petioles. In the middle of the flower there is a yellow or orange-yellow “eye”. The leaves of the plant are dark green, oval, with large, sometimes rounded teeth along the edges.
The variety of colors of different varieties and, especially, hybrids of horned violet is amazing . There is a choice for every taste - from soft airy white and lilac and cheerful yellow and orange to elegant velvety purple and burgundy. There are single-color varieties; they are preferred by professional landscape designers for creating large flower beds. There are varieties with colors of two, three or more shades, which are often chosen by amateur gardeners.
The great advantage of the horned violet is its long flowering . It blooms profusely and brightly from May to September. But the first, spring bloom is the most magnificent. In mid-summer, especially during hot and dry periods, the flowers become smaller and the plantings are no longer so decorative, but by autumn they regain their attractiveness.
Problems during cultivation
Violet, like many plants, is susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks. The table below shows the most common ones.
| Disease/pest | Defeat | Treatment |
| Powdery mildew | Black dots and cobwebs appear on the stems, leaves and buds. | It is necessary to spray the plant with an antifungal agent. |
| spotting | The disease begins on the leaves, then the stem dries out. It can also attack seeds. | The bed should be dug up and treated with chemical disinfectants. |
| Blackleg | The stem becomes thinner and darker. | Plants need to be thinned out, the soil loosened and treated with anti-fungal agents. |
| Gray rot | A fluffy gray coating appears on the flowers, then the plant begins to rot. | The bushes need to be thinned out, fertilized, and treated for fungal diseases. |
| Caterpillars | All parts of the plant are affected, mainly from May to June. | Spray with tobacco infusion and Chlorophos as soon as the first pests are noticed. |
Horned violet is not only a beautiful and unpretentious flower, but it is also successfully used in cooking. Fragrant flowers give salads, desserts, and yoghurts an exquisite, unusual taste and beautiful appearance. They are candied, frozen in ice cubes, and used to decorate various treats.
Horned violet in landscape design
Horned violet, since its flowers are small, is planted in groups of several bushes in the garden. As a low-growing plant, in compositions with other plants it is placed in the foreground .
Bright plantings of horned violet look picturesque
- on the alpine slides,
- flower beds,
- in curbs,
- in mixborders.
| Its small size makes it convenient for decorating balconies and verandas, growing in flowerpots and containers, and hanging flowerpots. Horned violet can also be used as a forcing crop. |
Description
The height of this variety does not exceed twenty-five centimeters.
- The flowers of the plant are delicate with an exquisite aroma. They are small in size, about five millimeters in diameter.
- Their petals have an elongated shape. The inflorescences grow singly and give the bush the appearance of a pillow. Over time, the violet grows and the flowers become a carpet.
- The Horned Violet gets its name from its appendage at the back. It resembles a horn in appearance. The varieties that have recently begun to renew no longer have such a shoot.
The cultivation of horned violets began in 1776. The roots have many branches and the ability to spread. This plant grows and reproduces well.
Several planted bushes will turn into a flower garden with an area of two square meters in a year. Each of them can grow up to sixty inflorescences.
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The flowers grow on long stems. In the center of the inflorescence there is an eye that has an orange tint. The oval leaves are dark green with large teeth along the edge. Horned violet can have different colors of its inflorescences.
They can be:
- soft purple
- yellow,
- orange,
- burgundy.
Some types of plants can grow with monochromatic flowers. Landscape designers prefer them for recreating flower beds. There are varieties in which one bush can have several colors at once.
The ability to bloom for a long time is an advantage of the horned violet. From May until September, the flowers do not disappear from the plant. The first inflorescences that appear in the spring are usually more magnificent than all the others.
On hot days, violets cannot have large flowers. By autumn her abilities are restored.
Advantages:
- Various shades of inflorescences;
- Blooms early and long;
- Not afraid of cold weather;
- Almost never gets sick.
Landscape design
The small flowers of the plant do not give a beautiful appearance if planted separately. Therefore, professional designers, to give a general look, try to plant violets in groups (several bushes nearby). They are small in height, so they are always placed at the front of the flower bed.
Bright inflorescences look organic:
- In the flower beds;
- In mixborders;
- On the alpine slides;
- In curb areas.
The small size of the bush can be used for decoration on the balcony.
Ideal neighbors for the horned violet in the front garden can be:
- Coniferous plants in the form of shrubs or trees. They shade the violet with their size. This protects it from direct sunlight. A carpet of flowers under coniferous bushes gives the flower garden an aesthetic appearance.
- Ferns or hostas.
- Flowers you can plant: tulips, daffodils, hyacinths.
Varieties of horned violet
The plant can be crossed well with other species. Breeders have created many hybrids of horned violet. But their properties are already different from the original form. Their leaves have sharp teeth and are oval in shape.
The bushes can grow into a mat and remain in this state throughout the flowering period. And some hybrids stretch out their shoots. This requires constant pruning.
Flower growers divide into two groups of varieties:
- Horned violet;
- Hybrid horned violet.
Care and cultivation depends on the plant variety. The rules may vary. Hybrids tolerate cold worse. Therefore, she must be protected from them. And some violets are biennial bushes.
Neighbors for violets
- Good neighbors for planting horned violet will be medium-sized coniferous or decorative deciduous trees and shrubs. The colorful floral carpet that its flowers form looks great against their background, and they provide shade for the violet on a hot afternoon.
- Joint plantings of horned violet with hosta and ferns look decorative.
- Flowerbeds of early spring bulbs: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and horned violets will delight the eye with the delicate shades.
Prevention from diseases and pests
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Viola, when planted in contaminated soil, or with excessive moisture, can be affected by putrefactive microorganisms. For prevention in the spring, the perennial is sprayed with fungicides, and agricultural practices are also followed.
Possible pests of violets are slugs, snails, aphids, and violet mother of pearl. To prevent their appearance, the bushes are sprayed with an infusion of potato tops and onion peels. Tobacco is scattered around the plants. Insecticides are used among chemical preparations.
Varietal violets and hybrids
The horned violet crosses well with other types of violets, so modern selection offers gardeners not only a variety of varieties, but also hybrids of the horned violet.
Different varieties and hybrids may have some differences in properties. For example, in the shape of flower petals - elongated or rounded and leaves - with sharper or rounded teeth.
Some varieties form compact mats that hold their shape well throughout the flowering period, while some have more “loose” bushes, significantly elongate the shoots and require periodic pruning.
Experts divide all varieties and hybrids into two groups:
- horned violet (V. cornuta) and
- hybrid horned violet (v. hybrida or v. hybrida x cornuta)
The rules for growing and caring for violets of different groups differ . Important differences are in winter hardiness (hybrid violet overwinters worse), and in the fact that hybrid violet is grown as a biennial and not as a perennial plant, unlike horned violet.
Recommendations for planting and care
Growing viola is not difficult. In order for the plant to delight you with its flowering for a long time, you need to follow proper agricultural practices.
Soil, lighting, degree of moisture
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The culture prefers to grow in light partial shade. In the sun and in full shade, the stems will stretch and the flowers will become smaller. In shady and damp conditions, bushes can be attacked by snails and slugs.
The culture can develop in any substrate, but it will look most decorative when grown in loose, breathable soil. If the soil is heavy, you need to lay drainage at the bottom of the planting hole.
Water the bushes as the soil layer dries out. The hotter and drier the summer, the more often the soil needs to be moistened.
For your information! With a lack of moisture, the flowers become smaller and curl up.
Growing in the garden
Horned violet is grown as a perennial plant, and hybrid violet, for example, the Sorbet series, is grown as a biennial plant or as an annual plant if it is planted in open ground as seedlings.
In general, this plant does not require careful care.
The soil
Horned violet grows and blooms in almost any soil. But on light, loose, moderately fertile, drained soils, with a pH of 6.8 – 7.2, it grows faster and produces more abundant flowering.
Landing location
Horned violet loves sunny places with good lighting, but prefers moderate temperatures. It is advisable to place plantings in partial shade or next to taller neighboring plants that provide shading in the midday heat.
In too shady places, violets stretch out, the flowers become smaller, look less attractive, and here they are more often attacked by slugs and snails.
Watering
Horned violet requires moderate watering. During hot, dry periods, water more often as the soil dries. The plant can tolerate forced drought quite well and wait until the next weekend or your return from vacation. But during very dry and hot periods, the flowers become smaller and the growth of the bushes slows down.
Horned violet loves spraying; in hot weather they are sprayed twice: in the morning and in the evening.
Top dressing
Fertilizing is carried out twice per season, in the spring during the period of active growth and in the second half of August. For feeding, fertilizers are used in low concentrations, mineral or organic, in addition to fresh manure.
Fresh manure is not suitable for feeding horned violets, as well as for other types of violets, its effect on them is too aggressive, and as a result of its use, plant roots are damaged.
Pruning and maintaining decorativeness
If the horned violet plantings stretch out and take on an untidy appearance, you need to trim them so that they become compact and well-groomed again.
If the goal is not to obtain seeds, faded flowers are regularly removed. This keeps the plantings in a decorative form; the plants bloom longer and more abundantly, since they do not expend energy on the formation and ripening of seeds, and also prevents unwanted self-seeding.
Wintering
The plant is winter-hardy, withstands frosts down to -23 degrees. But the frost resistance of plants depends on the variety. Varietal violets overwinter well and do not need special winter shelter. Hybrids are more sensitive to frost; they need to be mulched with peat and leaf humus for the winter.
It is advisable to mulch young plants planted in the current season, as well as cover them for the winter with leaf litter, spruce spruce branches or lutrasil, regardless of the variety.
Rejuvenation of plantings
Once every 3-5 years, some varieties and hybrids (yellow, red, multi-colored) require updating, since the flowering becomes less lush and elegant. There are more durable varieties (usually blue, lilac, white, purple).
If the violet bushes have grown too much or have lost their decorative appearance, then it’s time to divide them, thus rejuvenating the planting.
What to pay attention to
Horned violet, when grown for a long time, can produce abundant self-sowing. To prevent it, it is necessary to pick off faded flowers before the seeds ripen.
Features of flower care
Summer viola care includes the following activities:
- pruning faded flower stalks;
- cleaning up fallen leaves;
- weeding;
- monitoring pests and diseases, treatment if necessary.
Advice. Replant young plants every three years. This way, the change of generations of violets will pass unnoticed, and the flowerbed will retain its decorative appeal.
Viola needs moisture; on hot days, watering is done twice a day - morning and evening. Feeding is done two to three times per season. The number of procedures depends on the quality of the soil. The first application of fertilizer should be in early summer. It is recommended to use complex mineral fertilizer. During the next subcortex, organic matter is added. Fertilizers are dissolved in water and the violets are watered. To reduce moisture evaporation and prevent abundant weed growth, clumps are mulched with sawdust, wood chips or sprinkled with expanded clay.
Growing horned violet from seeds
Horned violet can be grown from seeds, sowing them directly into open ground before winter or by first preparing seedlings.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out from February to April. The sooner the seeds are sown, the sooner the violet will bloom. The period from sowing to flowering is 10-13 weeks. So that flowers appear in May, seeds for seedlings are sown in February.
It is necessary to prepare a nutritious soil mixture, treat it with a foundation solution, and it is also advisable to pre-calcine it in the oven to protect it from infections and fungal diseases.
The seeds are placed in grooves spaced 1.5-2 cm from each other, carefully covered with earth on top, and watered with a spray bottle. When sowing, you need to take into account the germination rate of the seeds indicated on the package; depending on the type, it can be 95% or 60%.
The crops are covered with film and the soil is regularly moistened. Before germination, containers are placed in cool conditions (12-18 degrees); higher soil temperatures impair germination. After germination (after 3-5 weeks depending on the variety), the containers are transferred to a brighter and warmer place (with a temperature of 18-22 degrees). The seedlings are initially kept under a film, which is periodically removed, gradually increasing the ventilation time.
After the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, a pick is carried out, with the plants being planted at intervals of 5 cm from each other.
Plants are planted in a permanent location in May, watering, shading and weeding of young plants are carefully monitored, and two weeks after rooting, fertilizing with mineral fertilizer is carried out.
Sowing seeds in open ground
The timing of sowing horned violet seeds in open ground is from August 10 to September 10. If you have your own seeds collected this year, then it is better to use them for sowing. Furrows are made on the loosened soil, seeds are sprinkled into them, and for purchased seeds, their germination is taken into account. The seeds are sprinkled with soil, carefully watered, and mulched.
Shoots will appear next spring; at first they need protection from bright sun. If the seedlings have sprouted too densely and interfere with each other, they are plucked. Plants are transplanted to a permanent location in August. After rooting, the emerging flower stalks must be removed in order to prevent the plants from wasting energy; it should enter the winter stronger.
Full flowering when sowing horned violet in open ground will occur next spring.
How to grow perennial garden violet
To grow a fragrant, beautiful violet in your garden, you need to follow some recommendations that relate to the selection of growing location, soil composition and lighting:
- The optimal place for planting is in diffuse shade, where there is no direct exposure to sunlight, but a sufficient amount of light. It is best if the violet is slightly shaded by taller plants, branches of trees or bushes, especially in the first time after planting in the ground;
- Partial shade or shade should , since sunlight is a necessary condition for abundant flowering of garden violets. They also provide protection against slugs;
- The ideal soil is slightly acidic, light and well-drained. You can achieve such a composition by digging up the area for future planting in the autumn and adding humus to it. You can also add superphosphate, calculating the required amount of fertilizer based on the indicators on the package. In the spring, repeated digging is carried out, the soil is leveled and large lumps of earth are broken up;
- Violet loves good humidity , but without stagnant water. To keep the soil constantly moist, it is necessary to mulch it by adding gravel, moss, and tree bark.
You can grow horned perennial violet from seeds and vegetatively (by dividing the bush or cuttings).
Sowing seeds of horned violet (viola)
Sowing seeds
You can get perennial violet seedlings using seeds. Sowing is carried out according to the following scheme:
- It is necessary to purchase fresh, high-quality seeds, thereby guaranteeing good germination of crops.
- The seeds are sown in shallow furrows; before doing this, it is recommended to add a small amount of peat to the soil (“by eye”).
- To prevent the occurrence of fungus, you need to “dust” the seeds with any available fungicide (Strobi, Agat-25K, Skor, Quadris) , and also spill the solution on the soil (the manufacturer indicates the dosage for the solution on the packaging).
- After a couple of true leaves have appeared on the plant, you need to dive, providing the seedlings with the necessary free space for development.
- Seedlings should be planted in such a way that there is a distance of about 5-7 cm between neighboring plants.
- When weeds appear, it is necessary to weed the beds. It is also recommended to periodically loosen them, allowing air access.
When to sow seeds
You can sow the seeds of perennial garden violets both in autumn and spring. However, here it is worth considering the fact that “autumn” ones take 2 times longer to germinate. Planting of seedlings in a permanent place of growth is carried out after the root system is formed. The distance between the bushes should be about 30 cm. After the ground part of the flower has developed, you can expect flowering in about a month.
Cuttings
Horned violet also reproduces by cuttings. Cuttings allow you to get several new bushes from one horned violet bush, thereby propagating your favorite variety. This propagation method is quite simple:
- The optimal timing is from May to July.
- It is recommended to moisten and loosen the selected place for planting, allowing access to air.
- Green shoots that grow from above are taken as cuttings The number of sheets on each copy must be at least two .
- The cuttings are planted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm in a prepared bed.
- To help planting material take root in the soil faster, you can cover the plantings with a damp cloth or transparent film, thereby creating greenhouse conditions.
- When weeds appear, it is recommended to weed the garden bed and also monitor soil moisture, watering and spraying the plants if necessary.
Dividing the bush
It is optimal to propagate garden fragrant violets by dividing the bush if the gardener wants to rejuvenate the plant and prevent the variety from degenerating. The work is carried out in several stages:
- The time suitable for division is before or after flowering.
- All flowers and their remains are removed from the plant.
- A sharp scoop or knife is used to cut off part of the overgrown bush (fragments with roots) and transplant it to a new location.
- It is optimal if the separated plant grows in well-drained soil, in light shade.
- In the spring, after the first winter, the plant is planted in a permanent place.
Vegetative propagation of horned violet
In addition to seed propagation, it is possible to propagate the horned violet by dividing the bush, green cuttings and layering.
Hybrid varieties are propagated only vegetatively in order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the mother plant; moreover, these varieties may not produce seeds.
Dividing the bush
Dividing the bush is best done from early spring to mid-summer; in this case, the plants have time to bloom before autumn and form a strong root system before frost. When dividing, the bush is dug up and fragments with roots are separated from it. The cuttings are planted in a shaded place, sheltered from the wind, in pre-moistened soil. Soil moisture must be maintained continuously during the rooting period. The divisions usually take root without problems, it takes 2-3 weeks. Next spring they are transplanted to a permanent place.
Reproduction by layering
This is a very simple method of propagation. For it, one or several long shoots are selected, bent and attached to the ground in one or several places using any metal or plastic brackets of a suitable size; it is convenient to use hairpins. The attachment site is sprinkled with soil and watered periodically. After 3-4 weeks, roots form in this place, and the rooted shoot is separated from the mother plant.
Cuttings
Propagation by green cuttings is carried out from June to mid-July. The stems are cut into 5 cm cuttings with 2 or 3 nodes. 3-4 leaves are left on each cutting. Soil is poured into the rooting container, moistened well and the cuttings are stuck into it at an angle, deepening it by 1 cm. The container is covered with film and placed in a warm place, protected from bright sun. Plantings are ventilated once a day. After about 3-4 weeks, the cuttings should begin to grow, which means that they have successfully taken root.
After rooting, the cuttings are planted in the garden in a shaded area and placed in a permanent place after wintering.
Photo credits: berdankal.pavlovskaya, len.shevel, elena.lyaliuk, natispb70, nin.fa2013.
Features of reproduction
There are several ways to propagate violets on your site. After flowering, seeds are formed on it, which themselves spread over a distance of 5-5.5 m. They germinate, and the very next year flowers form on the bushes.
Note! A signal that the seed pod is ready to open is when it turns over.
Another method of propagation is dividing the bush. Children grow around the adult plant, which can be separated and planted on the site. It is also easy to propagate violets using layering, pinning them and covering them with earth. After rooting, the young bushes are separated and planted separately.
Fragrant violet (Viola odorata)
It is known that this particular species was introduced into culture in 1542 by monks in the territories of European monasteries.
Currently it is called English violet, garden violet, and candy violet. She comes from Southern and Western Europe. Fragrant violet, photo by the author Rhizomatous semi-evergreen perennial 20 cm high and 30 cm wide, with a thick creeping rhizome, numerous rosettes of basal heart-shaped leaves, above-ground shoots rooting at the nodes, and single flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter. Here, on the South Coast Crimea, it spends the winter without shelter, remaining in a green state. Already in March, at my dacha it blooms with inky fragrant flowers on low (10-15 cm) peduncles. In central Russia, the main flowering occurs in April - May; a second wave may occur at the end of summer.
Decorative varieties:
- ' Christmas ' – white flowers;
Fragrant violet 'Christmas'. Photo from vivaipriola.it
- ' Coeur d'Alsace ' – pink flowers;
Fragrant violet 'Coeur d'Alsace'. Photo from vivaipriola.it
- ' Red Charm ' – red-purple flowers and others.
Fragrant violet 'Red Charm'.
Photo from the site vivaipriola.it The specific subtle and delicate aroma of fragrant violet is liked by many summer residents. Some ladies prefer to hear its notes at any time of the year in their favorite scents: “Champs-Elysees”, “Violette”, “Fidele Violette” and others.
Fragrant violet, photo by the author. Perfume "Champs-Elysees". Photo from the site royalparfums.com.ua
A long time ago, Parma violets were popular, and in winter they were everywhere driven out in greenhouses and hothouses. Their unique sweetish aroma belongs to the world-famous Parma variety of fragrant violet (Viola odorata var. parmensis).
Dog violet (Viola canina)
Lovers of the landscape style of dachas will certainly appreciate this delicate violet.
It comes from Europe and Western Asia. Dog violet. Photo from the site naturalmedicinalherbs.net This is a rhizomatous perennial 15-30 cm high and wide. Its blue flowers with a diameter of up to 2.5 cm are amazing. It blooms in May - June, sometimes again in August.
You can find interesting species and varieties of these charming little ones for sale using our market. View a selection of perennial violets and compare offers from different online stores.
Viola (Violet) fragrant Sulphurea 315 RUR
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Viola (Violet) fragrant Coeur d'Alsace 315 RUR
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Viola (Violet) Labrador 270 RUR
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Viola (Violet) fragrant Konigin Charlotte 270 RUR
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