Common blue violets are a favorite of mine. Their delicate flowers and heart shaped leaves are a welcomed sight in my lawn. They are a perennial in the violaceae family, native to eastern and central North America. They are very common in Ohio, easily Ohio’s most frequent of our viola species. I’m not the only fan, four states have chosen the common blue violet as their state flower: Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Wisconsin.
Recently I have invited them into a flower bed as a green mulch with the full knowledge that the violets are prolific, spreading by both rhizomes and Cleistogamy (non-opening, self-pollinating flowers) seed heads in late summer to early autumn. Those seed heads can shoot out the seeds as far as 9 feet away from the plant. And because violets are so proficient at reproducing some people consider them a nuisance weed. My hope is that they form a carpet under my Clethera shrubs eliminating the need for bagged mulch in this area.
Bloom time for these beauties is early April to late May, sometimes blooming again in early fall in colors ranging from deep blue-violet to white. They provide early nectar for native bees such as mason bees, sweat bees and a violet specialist mining bee. Fritillary butterfly caterpillars are dependent on these and other plants from the genus Viola. The violets are eaten by wild turkeys, rabbits, deer, the mourning dove, the bobwhite and the white-footed mouse.
In addition to the value they provide wildlife as a food source and larval host the plant is edible for human consumption. Young leaves can be used in salads or cooked as greens. Flowers are often added to salads or desserts and can be made into candies or jellies. Violets are high in vitamins A and C.
*Educator Note: You should approach eating any wild plants with extreme caution. All plants may casue an alergic reaction in some individuals. Take special care to make sure you properly identify wild plants and consider consulting an expert to help confirm an ID. If there is any doubt, the best thing to do is simply not eat the plant and appreciate it for it’s asthetics. If you do decide to eat a wild plant, make sure it is washed and start by trying it in small quantities to ensure you don’t have any adverse reactions.
Violets prefer a moist, rich, well-drained soil. They are highly adaptable and will appear in all types of habitat: wooded and open, regularily mowed lawns and meadows and highly disturbed areas. Because of their highly adaptable nature they are a suitable choice for a wide variety of gardens like cottage gardens, edible gardens, native gardens, pollinator and butterfly gardens. The plants are long lived and can reproduce for more than 10 years.Time will tell if my choice to add violets to an established garden bed was a wise choice or not since they can be difficult to eradicate from an area. You can ask me in a few years! In the meantime I think I will have a piece of toast with violet jelly on it.
Resources:
Viola sororia, North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Buckeye Yard & Garden onLine: Roses Are Red And Violets Are Blue Or Are They? – Curtis E. Young
Common Blue Violets, Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
-V. Shaw, Lorain County MGV