Viola sps. (Integrated Violets) SKU-VIOINT

Description

For years, I endeavored to keep my various shades of Dooryard Violets and Florida Violets separate in the nursery. However, they always found ways of mixing themselves up again.  Then I realized, this is the New South, segregation is over, violets should be integrated too. Pots may contain white violets, dark blue violets, light blue violets or the bicolor “Confederate Violets” or a combination. They all are beautiful and will naturalize where the soil stays average to moist year-round and there is sun or part-shade in the winter.  They are not deer resistant so plant them under or mixed with deer resistant plants. They do great  planted under warm-season perennials or deciduous trees.  They tolerate foot-traffic and mowing, so you can naturalize them in your lawn. Since they bloom early when few other native plants are out, they are an important nectar and pollen source for butterflies, native bees and beneficial insects like syrphic flies. They are also a larval food source  of several butteflies:  Aphrodite Fritillary, Silver Border Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Diana Fritillary and the Variegated Fritillary.  The Mon-aggressive Native Ants eat the fatty apppendages on the seeds and disperse them. Birds and Small Mammals feed on the seeds.   bThe flowers and leaves are both edible.. I am not fond of the leaves.. but the flowers are beautiful on a salad. I have been growing these violets for decades now, their ancestors came from various places in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida but they have been naturalized around the nursery since the mid 90’s. Get several for your garden, so you can get a good mixture of colors.