Violet, viola and pansy are three words for plants in one and the same genus, Viola, which holds between 500 and 680 species depending on how they are counted. Behind those words sit the strongly scented sweet violet, the common dog-violet with no scent at all, the annual heartsease and the large-flowered garden pansy. They are sown differently and looked after differently. The first step is working out which one you are after.
Which violet are you looking for?
The five below are the ones most often grown in gardens across the UK and northern Europe. Lifespan, height and scent are what separate them when you come to choose.
| Common name | Botanical name | Lifespan | Height | Flowering | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet violet | Viola odorata | Perennial | 10-15 cm | March to May | Strong |
| Common dog-violet | Viola riviniana | Perennial | 10 cm tall, 50 cm wide | April to June | None |
| Heartsease | Viola tricolor | Annual to short-lived perennial | 8-25 cm | April to September | Mild |
| Garden pansy | Viola x wittrockiana | Annual or biennial | 10-23 cm | Spring and autumn | Varies between cultivars |
| Horned violet | Viola cornuta | Perennial | 15-23 cm | May to July | Yes, in several cultivars |
Pansy is the trade name for the large-flowered hybrids with blooms of 5-8 cm, bred from heartsease and a few related species. Viola is the trade name for the smaller-flowered bedding types, most of them raised from the horned violet, and violet is used for the small-flowered species including the wild ones.
Scent belongs to only some of the species
Of the five species in the table only one is scented strongly enough to be used in perfumery. The species name odorata in sweet violet means scented in Latin. The 10-15 cm plant is at its strongest during flowering from March to May. The scent compound ionone switches the scent receptors off for a moment, so the smell disappears after a few seconds and comes back a little later.
The common dog-violet looks almost the same in the border but has no scent whatsoever. The word dog in dog-violet points to exactly that missing scent. Common dog-violet is often sold in the trade under the name Viola labradorica. If the plant carries that label it is usually common dog-violet you are taking home, and then you should not count on scent. If you want scent under the window in April, sweet violet is the species to ask for by name.
Position and soil
Sweet violet and common dog-violet want part shade or sun filtered through leaf cover. Sweet violet does not take full sun all day and flowers best in a spot with 2-4 hours of morning sun. Both do well in humus-rich soil that holds moisture without standing wet, and they work as ground cover under shrubs and fruit trees. The same position suits hepatica, which flowers a few weeks earlier and extends the season over the same patch.
Garden pansy, heartsease and horned violet cope with 6 hours of direct sun or more. They flower less freely when the summer heat is at its peak and pick up again once the nights cool down in August. Because the violets open as early as April they are among the first food sources for bumblebees in the season, in the same way as other early seeds for pollinators.
How to sow violets from seed
Violet seed has physiological dormancy. The seed needs a cold period before it germinates, and seed that has sat stored in a packet germinates unevenly. Autumn sowing outdoors is therefore the most reliable method.
Sow in October or November: fill a seed tray with seed compost, spread the seed thinly and cover with 0.5 cm of soil.
Stand the trays outside: winter outdoors gives the seed the cold it needs. We at Florea stand the trays against a north-facing wall, where they swing between thaw and frost fewer times than in a sunny south-facing spot.
Wait until April: germination starts once the soil reaches a few degrees above freezing and spreads unevenly over 3-5 weeks.
Prick out at 4 leaves: plant out in June with 20-25 cm between plants, and they close into a mat over a couple of seasons.
If you would rather sow in spring, put the seed in damp conditions in the fridge at 2-5 degrees for at least 4 weeks and sow in March. Bred pansy cultivars are the quickest of all and can flower 9 weeks after sowing. We describe the method in detail in the article on winter sowing, and the selection is gathered among our seeds for winter sowing.
Sweet violet spreads by runners
Sweet violet forms long runners above ground and takes new ground with them. A single plant spreads to around 50 cm across and counts in some situations as a weed in lawns and borders. The species also sets seed in closed flowers that never open, and the seeds carry a fatty appendage that ants drag along with them. New plants therefore turn up several metres from the mother plant without you having planted them.
Cut the runners: go over the clump in October and cut off the runners that have left the area you set aside.
Set a boundary: an edging stone or a buried edge going 15 cm down into the soil slows the runners effectively.
Grow it in a pot: a pot 20 cm across is enough for one plant and keeps the spread in place.
Divide every third year: dig it up, split it into pieces with 3-4 leaf rosettes and put one of them back, just as with other perennials.
Care month by month
| Month | What you do |
|---|---|
| March to May | Sweet violet flowers. Pick flowers for decoration and water if the spring is dry. |
| May to June | Common dog-violet and horned violet flower. Divide perennial violets once flowering has finished. |
| June to August | Deadhead garden pansy and heartsease every 7-10 days so flowering carries on. |
| September to October | Cut runners away. Sow fresh seed in trays and stand them outside. |
| November to February | The seed sits outdoors and gets its weeks of cold. Perennial violets manage without cover. |
Violet flowers for decoration
The flowers and leaves of sweet violet are edible and have been used for candied flowers far back in time. Heartsease can be eaten in smaller amounts and has a faintly minty taste. Horned violet has both edible flowers and edible leaves. Harvest in the morning and use the flowers within 1 day, as they collapse quickly.
Garden pansies bought ready-grown in a pot may have been treated with systemic plant protection products that stay in the flower tissue. If the flowers are going on the cake, grow them from seed yourself. More species with edible flowers are found among our edible flower seeds.
Three mistakes we see most often
Sweet violet in full sun: the leaves scorch and flowering stays short. Move the plant to a spot with 2-4 hours of sun under leaf cover.
Spring sowing without a cold period: seed sown indoors in March without the 4 weeks of cold germinates thinly or not at all. Cold is not an optional extra for violet seed.
Sweet violet without a boundary: planted in the middle of a border of small spring bulbs it takes over in 2-3 seasons. Give it its own patch or an edge that slows the runners.
Author: Emma Vogiatzi
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2026-09-25