Pink Violet

Pink Violet (Viola odorata 'Rosina') is the sweet violet grown for perfume rather than show. It makes a low mat about 15cm high and 30cm across, and through the cooler months it carries soft pink flowers that scent the air well beyond the plant itself. The flowers are edible, the foliage is evergreen, and it is happy in the shaded ground where most flowering plants sulk.

Why you'll love it

• Real perfume, not a hint of it. Sweet violet is one of the classic garden fragrances, and a patch beside a path releases it every time you walk past.
• It flowers where little else will. Partial shade under deciduous trees or along a south facing bed suits it, so it fills the difficult ground.
• Edible flowers. The pink blooms are traditionally crystallised for cakes, or scattered fresh through a salad.
• Safe around cats and dogs. Not toxic, so it can go in at path level in a garden that pets use.
• Almost no work. Frost hardy, tolerant of damp ground, and it closes its own gaps by runner.

Where it works best

Groundcover under trees. Plant 25cm apart and the runners knit into a continuous mat within a season. It is one of the few groundcovers that flowers properly in shade.

Borders and edging. A single row at 25cm spacing softens the front of a bed or a path edge, where the scent gets noticed.

Pots and small gardens. A wide shallow bowl on a shaded verandah suits it, and at 15cm high it never crowds a courtyard.

Growing pink violet in Australia

Position and climate. Partial shade is ideal, and morning sun with afternoon protection gives the best flowering. This is a plant for warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is properly frost hardy. In subtropical and tropical gardens the summer humidity works against it, so treat it as a cool season plant.

Soil. Moist, compost rich soil is what it evolved on. It tolerates wet feet better than most groundcovers, so a damp corner is fine, though it will not sit in standing water.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the first summer, then water once the top few centimetres dry out. A dressing of compost or a balanced fertiliser in early spring carries a whole season of flowers.

Pruning. None needed. Shear the patch over once flowering finishes, and divide the runners every few years if the middle thins out.

What to expect when it arrives

Pink Violet is sold as tube stock, so plants arrive small: a young rooted crown with a handful of leaves, ready for the ground or a pot. Tubes travel well because there is little top growth to bruise, and they establish quickly once the roots find moist soil. Expect runners within a couple of months, and a full mat by the second year.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to fragrant plants for Australian gardens
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Plants that are safe for pets
• Choosing groundcovers for shaded beds

Common questions

How many plants cover a square metre?

About sixteen at 25cm spacing. Fewer will still fill in, since the runners spread, but it takes an extra season.

Will it grow in full sun?

It survives, but the leaves scorch through an Australian summer and flowering drops away. Partial shade, or morning sun only, gives a far better result.

Does it become a weed?

It spreads by runners and self seeds in soil it likes, so it can travel further than intended in a small bed. A hard edge or a pot keeps it where you want it.

When does it flower?

Mainly through late autumn, winter and early spring, which is the point of it: perfume in the months when the rest of the garden is quiet.