Garden Violet Viola odorata

Sweet Violet is native to Europe.  It has edible flowers and also a sweet, perfumed flavor.  They hail from a time when fragrance was utmost when choosing plants for a garden.  The fragrance of Sweet Violet is regarded as one of the most beautiful aromas in the plant kingdom.  The scent has found its way into perfumes.  

Having no stem, the flowers and leaves rise directly from long, horizontal, runners.  These runners or stolons have thin roots at the nodes.  The leaves are all basal, heart shaped with rounded lobes at the base.  They have teeth around the edges.  The tips of the lower leaves are more rounded, while the upper leaves are more tapering to a blunt tip.

Flowering takes place in the spring, however, it develops unopened and self-pollinating closed flowers later in the summer months.  The pollinated flowers form capsule fruits that hang down near the ground surface. The capsules open at ground lever or just under the soil.  Attracting ants, the oily outer portion of the capsules are taken and devoured by the ants.  What is left behind are the seeds that had been in the capsule. Perhaps in a location where it can develop.

It is not typically found in contemporary gardens.  However, it can still be found in old forgotten or neglected gardens.  It flourishes in shady, mossy lawns, so these old gardens that are left unattended are the perfect location.

Both the leaves and flowers are edible.  They can be candied or eaten fresh.  Both leaves and flowers can be added to salads, and used to embellish desserts and iced drinks.  Leaves can be cooked like spinach.

For a showy spring appearance, cut runners and prune spindly growth in the late fall.  

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Pests affecting this plant include slugs, snails, and red spider mite.  It is susceptible to violet gall midge, pansy leaf spot and powder mildew.

Its natural spreading habit can become weedy in some situations.