Viola tricolor (Heartsease)

Scientific Name

Viola tricolor L.

Common Names

Heartsease, Heart's Ease, Heart's Delight, Tickle-My-Fancy, Jack-Jump-Up-and-Kiss-Me, Come-and-Cuddle-Me, Three Faces in a Hood, Love-in-Idleness, Johnny Jump Up, Pansy, Wild Pansy, European Wild Pansy, Field Pansy, Miniature Pansy

Synonyms

Viola macedonica, Jacea tricolor, Mnemion tricolor, Viola luteola, Viola nemausensis

Scientific Classification

Family: Violaceae
Subfamily: Violoideae
Tribe: Violeae
Genus: Viola

Flower

Color: Purple, blue, yellow or white
Bloom Time: April to September

Description

Viola tricolor is a small, annual or short-lived perennial plant of creeping and ramping habit, up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall. The stems are light green to purplish-green, glabrous, and angular. Leaves are simple, lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets and medium green in color. The flowers are up to 0.6 inches (1.5 cm) in diameter and different in color: purple, blue, yellow or white. It flowers from April to September.

How to Grow and Care

Viola plants prefer cool to warm climates and wilt a bit in mid-summer heat. In warmer areas, we recommend partial shade. They tolerate a variety of soils. Add a general-purpose fertilizer when planting them, then once a month after that. Once your Viola plants are established, they should grow well, even if left unattended. Soil should be moist, but not wet. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Keep them well weeded. Remove spent blooms to promote additional blooms, and extend the blooming period. This will also keep the appearance neat and beautiful.

Violas are grown from seeds. They like full to partial sun. Viola can be directly seeded into your flower garden or seeded indoors for transplanting later. For spring blooms, you need to start your Viola in pots and containers indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Violas.

Origin

Native to Europe.

Links

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