Viola odorata Königin Charlotte

Viola odorata 'Königin Charlotte', also known as Queen Charlotte, is an ancient variety of sweet violet, which has retained the charm and scent of the wild species found in our woodlands. Its simple flowers, a light violet with a touch of blue, are curiously upright, facing towards the sky. They bloom abundantly on its foliage for many weeks from the end of winter to summer if the soil remains slightly moist. This small perennial ground cover will eventually form large evergreen mats in winter. In the garden, it easily thrives in shaded areas, even occasionally dry ones, and forms carpets where many perennials struggle to grow.

'Königin Charlotte' is a particularly floriferous variety of Viola odorata, with upright flowers that are slightly larger and bluer than those of the standard type. It was selected in Germany in 1900. The sweet violet is the European violet, originating from open woodlands, edges, hedges, lawns, meadows, and roadside verges, with a tendency towards southern climates. These plants belong to the Violaceae family.

'Königin Charlotte' is a small ground cover perennial that forms rounded clumps of heart-shaped leaves, spreading through short stolons that give rise to new small clumps here and there. The foliage, usually evergreen in winter, may disappear in summer during droughts. Its flowering period can extend from March to July, with the peak in March-April. It is not uncommon for the plant to go dormant after the first wave of spring flowers and then bloom again, abundantly, from September to October. Its numerous small 2 cm (1 in) flowers with 5 petals in a bluish-violet colour and a spur exude a noticeable fragrance. Each flower is borne on a peduncle reaching 15 cm (6 in) in height. This variety readily self-seeds in the garden.

The 'Königin Charlotte' sweet violet is used in border plantations, at the base of trees and shrubs, or in rockeries with primroses, pansies, horned violets, small ferns, or liverworts. It can also be grown in pots or containers placed on the windowsill (for its subtle fragrance) or on the terrace, with regular watering. Violets and pansies belong to the Viola genus.

How to differentiate between a violet and a pansy:

By the arrangement of their petals: the former has two upright petals and three downward-facing petals, while the latter has four upright petals, with the fifth, larger petal bending downwards. Violets are almost all native to temperate regions of the world. The majority of them are perennials, but hybrids with large flowers are sold and used as annual plants.