ALTHOUGH the genus Viola includes more than 500 species of annuals, perennials and sub-shrubs found in temperate areas across the world, it is the sweet violet, V. odorata, that is most suited to our mild British conditions.
A highly promiscuous plant, the sweet violet is perfect for breeding programmes. Cultivars of are hardy perennials with heart-shaped, mid-green leaves forming a rosette at the base. Native plants have white or purple flowers erupting on long stalks from late winter to early spring; decades of hybridising have expanded the colour range to include greys, pinks, yellows and icy blues. Parma violets are a half-hardy variety of unknown provenance, thought to originate or the Mediterranean subsp , specifically grown for their deep perfume, long stems and large double flowers.
