Labrador Violet

Labrador Violet (Viola labradorica, sold through much of the trade as Viola riviniana Purpurea Group) is a low spreading groundcover with a quiet trick: the small heart shaped leaves are flushed purple bronze, so it carries colour between flushes of its violet flowers. It stays around 15cm tall and spreads to about 30cm, a useful filler for a shaded bed, a rockery pocket or a path edge.

Why you'll love it

• Purple tinted foliage, not just flowers. The leaves hold a bronze purple cast that deepens in cool weather, so the planting reads as coloured out of bloom.
• It fills gaps quickly and cheaply. At 30cm across per plant and 25cm spacing, a few tubes cover a surprising amount of ground within a season.
• Genuinely shade tolerant. The plant for dim corners under trees and the south side of a house, where most groundcovers thin out.
• Frost hardy, and happy in damp ground. A low spot that stays soggy through winter is not a problem, and hard frost does not trouble it.
• Safe and edible. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and the flowers can be used fresh on salads and desserts.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 25cm apart for quick, even cover. At that spacing the clumps knit together in one growing season and suppress most weed seedlings underneath.

Borders, edging and rockeries. It softens the front of a bed or a path edge without clipping, and tucks into rockery crevices and between stepping stones.

Pots and underplanting. Use it as a living mulch under a potted tree, or at the front of a mixed container in a shaded courtyard.

Growing Labrador Violet in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade to full shade, with morning sun at most. A plant for warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, properly frost hardy, so Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and the tablelands suit it. It struggles in tropical, arid and hot subtropical summers, where a shaded pot works better.

Soil. Moisture retentive and rich in organic matter, so dig compost through the bed before planting. It is more forgiving of damp soil than most groundcovers.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the first summer, then water in dry spells. It wilts visibly when thirsty and recovers quickly. A light dressing of pelletised organic fertiliser in early spring is all it needs.

Pruning. None required. Shear the whole planting back with hedge shears after the main flowering if it looks tired, and it reshoots within a few weeks.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock. Each plant is a small rooted clump, a few centimetres across, which is exactly the size a groundcover should be bought at: tubes establish faster and cost far less per square metre than larger pots.

Tubes travel very well. Plant them out promptly, water them in well, and expect visible spread within four to six weeks in the growing season and full cover by the end of the first year. One honest note: it seeds itself around readily in shaded beds. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The best groundcover plants for shaded gardens
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Plants suited to rockeries and crevices
• Compare other plants that are safe for pets

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

At 25cm spacing you need about sixteen plants per square metre for cover within a season. Stretch it to 30cm and you will use around eleven, with the gaps closing more slowly.

Will it take over the garden?

It seeds itself around freely in moist shaded beds, so expect volunteers. They are shallow rooted and easy to pull, but for a tightly controlled bed, shear after flowering before seed sets.

Can I walk on it?

Light, occasional foot traffic between steppers is fine. It is not a lawn substitute, so keep it to bed edges and low traffic gaps.