Horned violet

Sun

Full sun in cool climates; partial shade, especially afternoon shade, where summers are hot.

Water

Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water during dry spells, particularly in containers.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained soil; tolerates mildly acidic to mildly alkaline conditions.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Spring through early autumn in cool conditions, often pausing in summer heat. The species has violet to lavender-blue flowers with a pale or yellowish eye; garden hybrids offer many other colours.

Foliage

Small, green, oval to narrowly oval leaves with rounded teeth; evergreen in mild winters but may die back in colder weather.

Growth

Moderate; forms small spreading clumps and may self-seed.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

Canada

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water at soil level when the surface begins to dry; do not let container compost dry out completely.
• Work compost into the soil before planting and add a light top-dressing each spring.
• Feed container plants with a balanced liquid fertiliser at the label rate during active flowering.
• Apply a thin layer of mulch to conserve moisture, keeping it clear of the crowns.
• Divide healthy clumps every two or three years if flowering declines.

Pruning. Remove faded flowers regularly to prolong flowering and limit seedlings. After the main flush, lightly shear straggly stems back to leafy growth, then water to encourage a compact new flush.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged foliage and top-dress established clumps with compost.

Spring

Plant young plants in moist, well-drained soil; divide established clumps as growth begins.

Late spring

Deadhead regularly and check tender growth for aphids.

Summer

Water during dry weather and trim straggly growth after flowering; provide afternoon shade in hot districts.

Early autumn

Plant or divide in mild climates, leaving time for roots to establish before winter.

Winter

Check that pots and planting sites drain freely; avoid leaving containers standing in water.

• Edge paths and small borders with low clumps that soften hard surfaces without hiding plants behind them.
• Plant among spring bulbs to cover bare soil and continue flowering after the bulbs fade.
• Combine with primroses and forget-me-nots for a loose, cool-season cottage planting.
• Use in shallow containers or rock gardens where its small flowers can be seen closely and drainage is good.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, English country, Alpine rock garden, Romantic rose garden, Small-space and Blues and silvers.

Plant it with: Primroses, Forget-me-nots, Dwarf daffodils, Grape hyacinths, Creeping phlox and Alpine pinks.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other small pollinating insects. Foliage may feed violet-feeding butterfly caterpillars where suitable local species occur.

• Slugs and snails chew leaves and flowers: remove hiding places, hand-pick after dark and use an approved bait if needed.
• Aphids cluster on new growth: wash them off with water or treat persistent colonies with insecticidal soap according to the label.
• Powdery mildew marks leaves in crowded or stressed plants: improve airflow, water the roots consistently and remove badly affected foliage.
• Crown or root rot causes collapse in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch away from crowns and discard rotting plants.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Flowers and young leaves of correctly identified Viola cornuta are edible, but do not eat plants treated with pesticides unsuitable for food crops. Eating large quantities of plant material may cause stomach upset in pets.

• Wild pansy or heartsease (Viola tricolor)

  Usually an annual or short-lived plant with mixed purple, yellow and white flowers; its flower spur is much shorter than the conspicuous, slender horn of Viola cornuta.

• Garden pansy (Viola × wittrockiana)

  Usually has much larger, broader, overlapping petals, often with a dark central blotch, and a less spreading habit.

• Sweet violet (Viola odorata)

  Has rounded, heart-shaped leaves in low rosettes and flowers mainly in late winter and spring; its flowers lack the long, slender horn of Viola cornuta.

The Latin epithet cornuta means 'horned', referring to the long nectar spur projecting behind the flower.

Propagation. Sow seed in a cool, sheltered place, following the seed supplier's temperature guidance; germination can be uneven. Divide clumps in spring or early autumn, or take short, non-flowering basal cuttings. Use division or cuttings to preserve a named cultivar, as seedlings may differ from the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Viola cornuta

Native range

France, Spain, Alabama, Alberta, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky.

Measured

Average height 9 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.