Viola odorata Plena

Viola odorata 'Plena' is a delightful double-flowered form of the Sweet Violet, this vigorous little perennial that seduces all gardeners and romantic souls with its long spring to summer flowering, gently scented. Over time, it forms a luxuriant carpet of leaves, more or less evergreen depending on the severity of the winter, from which emerge a quantity of rather large, double flowers, with a blue-violet colour enhanced with white at the throat. They will be more colourful in cool weather and their fragrance is sweet. In the garden, it easily grows in shaded areas, even occasionally dry areas, beautifying the soil where many perennials struggle to grow.

Viola odorata, is the European violet, also called, depending on the regions, Sweet Violet, English Violet, Garden Violet, Common Violet, English Violet, March Violet. This small perennial of the Violaceae family is native to light woods, clearings, hedges, lawns, meadows, and roadside edges. It is a rhizomatous plant.

'Plena' distinguishes itself with its double flowers. This cultivar slowly covers the ground with rounded clumps composed of cordate (heart-shaped) leaves of dark green colour, dentate on the edges, slightly glossy. The plant spreads thanks to short stolons, a bit like strawberries. The foliage, more or less evergreen, 5cm (2in) tall, may disappear in summer in case of drought. The flowering of this variety takes place from March-April to June-July, it will be longer if the soil remains moist until summer. Clumps of leaves emerge from 15cm (6in) tall peduncles of a violet colour, each bearing a large flower for this type of violets. Formed of petals of violet-blue color, white at the base, they exhale a quite pronounced floral fragrance, slightly green and sweet. The flower of the sweet violet is commonly used in pastry; the leaves are also edible.

The 'Plena' scented violet will thrive almost anywhere as long as it is planted in a semi-shaded location that is not too dry. It can be used to decorate the base of trees and shrubs, in border plantings, along pathways, or in rockeries where it often self-seeds. For example, associate it with primroses, pansies, or horned violets, lilies of the valley, liverworts, and small ferns. It can also be grown in pots or containers placed on the windowsill (for the fragrance), or on the patio, without forgetting to water it. 

Violets and pansies are part of the Viola genus. How to differentiate a violet from a pansy? By the arrangement of their petals: the first has two upright petals and three petals pointing downwards, the second has four upright petals, with the fifth, larger than the others, bowing its head. Violets are almost all native to temperate regions of the globe. The vast majority of them are perennials, but hybrids with large flowers are sold and used as annual plants.