I was given starts of this hardy little violet years and years ago. Thought I lost it when I removed a bed and put in pavers. It reappeared a couple of years ago and has seeded itself around the major outdoor living area. I love the bright white splash on the front of the smoke shack. I was told it was from Canada, but have never been able to identify it nor have I seen anything like it in the garden centers. If anyone has an idea of its variety please share. It has even manage to place a seedling in my monkey planter of sedums.
they look like common white woodland violets to me, Jewel. practically impossible to kill. your look lovely around the path. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/wh_wdviolet.htm
Thanks Carolyn, I really appreciate the info. It is always interesting to see what is common in one place is uncommon in another. After all these years I now wonder if another one of my favorite plants has made it to the invasive list. Seems like a few have at least for my region.
You are welcome. there are like 500 different ones. some are common some are not so common. we have yellow ones and white ones and different shades of purple ones. I have never cultivated any of them into a flowerbed... that would be a disaster for me. they grow quite readily without help here as it is.
Jewell, they are lovely!! I like how the white violets reflect the white of your smoke shack. I have a purple violet that looks like yours. It is very mannerly, doesn't spread all over the place. In New England we also have a wild kind of violet, smaller than yours & lavender flowered. It spreads itself everywhere! Through the lawn, etc.
Yes, this particular variety does appear to be prolific. I have two very different purple varieties with entirely different growth habitats. One was a gift that escaped and the other is mainly just leaves and not very attractive.
CM I like the idea of violets in the lawn. A violet or English daisy lawn would be my ideal landscape with maybe some snowdrops thrown into the mix for early spring blooms.
I should take some seed and see if I can get some white violets started where the snow drops are planted. That would make a nice transitional planting.
This little white violet is a Jasmine. There is a variety of this plant, like winter jasmine, white jasmine, Arabian jasmine, etc.
Jewell, they may grow thick enough rhizomes to inhibit the snow drops from pushing through... try it is a small place first. I know our violets grow really dense rhizomes under the grapes where they get established that there is nothing else growing through them.
This particular species of violet can be propagated by seed or rhizomes and can be quite prolific. Good information Carolyn. I have a few invasive plants that were not considered such 35 years ago when we moved onto this property. Thanks for the advice.
I had the purple wild violets growing in our woods and when we moved, I took some along. Needless to say they spread like wild fire and we dug them out of the yard for years. The white is pretty too but I haven't noticed any anywhere.