Violets

"...doe assuage the headach, which commeth of too much drinking and procure sleep."

Richard Surflet, the Countri Farme, 1600

The main character in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' is Viola, the latin name for violet. Violets are the symbol of love, constancy and faithfulness of works by Shakespeare and many poets. In ancient Greece, the violet was the flower of Aphrodite and of Priapus, the child of Apollo, who was depicted as a gardener carrying a pruning knife. Violets were woven into garlands at celebrations. The Romans and Persians made violet wine. Nosegays of violets were popular in the 16th and 17th centuries to ward off the evil smells from the open drains.

There are 600 varieties of violets. Viola odorata (violet or sweet violet) is the most familiar variety to Australian gardeners. It has dark green, heart-shaped leaves with dark, highly scented flowers growing from the roots. Other varieties include heartsease (V. tricolour) and the Chinese violet (v. yezoensis). There is even an Australian native violet that grows well in shady areas and makes a great groundcover under natives.

Violets make a good groundcover and can be grown as a border or in a rockery. So don’t be fooled, these are tough plants in the Illawarra, surviving frost and extreme heat. Run the lawn mower over them (set on high) to trim back. Just keep the water up to them (they will bounce back if they faint), mulch well and they will reward you with lots of new growth and flowers.

Growing:

Some books say sow seeds in Autumn in the shade or semi-shade, or take root cuttings or runners in Winter. Other books say this can be done in Spring or Summer. For the Illawarra you can do this all year round, except for when extremely cold or hot days are expected. Mulch and give a little fertiliser (slow release is fine), but be warned that too much fertiliser gives you lots of leaves and few flowers. Violets will grow in full sun, but require regular watering (though they handle water restrictions). Violets like a well-drained soil but don’t like to be dry as they faint. However, they bounce back when watered.

Harvesting:

Pick the flowers to increase the number of new flowers. Pick the leaves and dry for pot pourri. Cut back the old leaves at the end of summer.

Culinary Use:

The leaves can be used in salads and conserve. Sugared violets have been used in cake decorations and on expensive hand-made chocolates for many years. A syrup of violets can be made as soothing tonic for sore throats, high in vitamin C. Violets have also been used in expensive cosmetics, perfumes and even alcoholic beverages.

© 2020 West Wollongong Garden Club Inc.