Viola and pansy
Viola × wittrockiana / V. tricolor
Difficulty: Easy ☀️ Full sun ⛅ Partial shade ☁️ Shade Balcony Small garden Medium garden Large garden
Info
Violas, heartsease and pansies are charming, long-flowering edible flowers in a huge range of colours, from deep purple to yellow, white and bicolours. They provide colour from autumn right through winter and spring, and decorate salads, cakes and desserts.
They are hardy, easy and wonderful in pots and window boxes. Small-flowered violas flower the most, and heartsease (Viola tricolor) self-seeds freely around the garden.
Varieties to try
Heartsease (Viola tricolor)Sorbet series (violas, flower profusely)Johnny Jump Up (small-flowered)Pansy ‘Matrix’ (large, winter hardy)Sweet violet (Viola odorata, scented)
How to sow
Sow seed on the surface of seed compost, barely covered with vermiculite, from February to June, or July to August for flowers in winter. Keep at 15–18°C. Germination takes 2–3 weeks. Prick out and pot on, planting out when 5 cm tall.
Or buy plug plants in autumn. Plant in sun or part shade in any reasonable soil or in containers, 15–20 cm apart.
Top tips
- Sow in July for winter flowers.
- Barely cover the seed.
- Plant in pots for winter colour.
- Space 15–20 cm.
How to grow
Deadhead regularly to promote more flowers, which are borne continuously. Water in dry weather and feed fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser in pots. Cut back straggly plants in midsummer to rejuvenate.
Slugs love young plants, and aphids and powdery mildew may appear. Pansies fade in hot summer weather, so replace with fresh plants. Violas tolerate heat better.
Top tips
- Deadhead often.
- Feed pots fortnightly.
- Cut back in midsummer.
- Protect from slugs.
Watch out for
SlugsAphidsPowdery mildewViolet leaf spot
How to harvest
Pick fully open flowers in the morning, by pinching them off just below the flower head. Pick regularly, as this encourages more blooms. Use only flowers grown without pesticides.
Use immediately for the best colour, or candy for longer storage.
Viola flowers wilt quickly, so pick as late as possible before serving, and place them in a small bowl of cold water in the fridge to keep them crisp until needed. Pick flowers only from plants you know have not been sprayed.
Top tips
- Pick open flowers.
- Pick in the morning.
- Use pesticide-free flowers.
- Pick often.
Usage and storage
Scatter flowers over salads, desserts, cakes, soups and canapés, or freeze in ice cubes for drinks. Candy them with egg white and caster sugar for cake decoration, or press them into butter. The flavour is mild and slightly sweet.
Fresh flowers last 2–3 days in the fridge in a sealed box with damp paper. Candied flowers keep for months in an airtight tin.
Top tips
- Candy for cakes.
- Freeze in ice cubes.
- Use as salad garnish.
- Press into butter.
Timings are typical for the UK and vary with region, frost dates and variety. See the planting calendar for every crop at a glance.