Labrador Violet, Alpine violet, Johnny Jump-Up, Alpine Violet
Viola labradorica
Family: Violaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Blue, Purple. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Spreading or horizontal
Viola labradorica is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.1
Where it is found
Woods and grassy places.
North-eastern N. America - Labrador, south to the mountains of Maine, New Hampshire and New York.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked. A mild flavour, though the leaves soon become quite tough. The leaves make a very acceptable addition to salads. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. A tea can be made from the leaves.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 2
A good ground cover plant, fast spreading but slow to thicken up and may need weeding for the first year or so. Plants should be spaced about 30cm apart each way. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Landscape Uses: Border, Ground cover, Rock garden, Woodland garden. Cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Succeeds in dense shade. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5. Hardy to about -25°c. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value. All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-8
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist