Viola, Annual
Viola spp.
Viola, Annual Plant Features
Violas are adorable little cousins of pansies. They have smaller flowers, but more of them -- and a wholly different kind of charm. Violas are available in just about every color, from white to nearly black, as well as fun bicolors. This makes them extraordinarily useful in the spring garden; these frost-tolerant, cool-season flowers thrive in garden beds, landscape borders, as well as container gardens, including hanging baskets and window boxes.
Most violas have a relatively small stature, so they're perfect for planting right along pathways where you can enjoy them right up close. Plant a bunch of one variety together and you create a show-stopping mass planting that can be seen from a distance!
Viola Questions?
If you have questions about growing violas, just drop us an email. Our experts are happy to help.
Viola, Annual Growing Instructions
Violas grow best in full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter. If you have soil that's particularly sandy or full of clay, add compost when planting violas. Likewise, adding a layer of mulch over the soil surface around the plants will help keep the soil cool and moist -- as well as suppress weeds.
Water violas regularly so they don't wilt or dry out. But also take care not to overwater them; they don't like to grow in soil that stays soggy or saturated for too long. If you grow violas in pots, be sure the pot allows excess water to escape.
Violas don't require any pruning, but do benefit from being fertilized if your soil doesn't have lots of organic matter in it. You can fertilize regularly with a product you mix in water or just once at the beginning of the season using a slow-release fertilizer. Either way, be sure to follow the directions on the packaging.
Violas are not intended for human or animal consumption.
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Light
Outside: Part sun
Outside: Sun -
Colors
Blue, Orange, Pink, Purple, Variegated, White, Yellow
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Water
Medium water needs
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Special Features
Attracts butterflies
Complement your Viola, Annual with these varieties:
Annual violas pair delightfully with the fun, textural foliage of flowering kale.
Pansies offer bigger flowers, so pairing them with violas creates a fun, but subtle, contrast.
Osteospermum has daisy-like flowers that make a lovely cottage-style accent to annual violas.
Accent adorable viola with the unique flowers of calceolaria.
Varieties: Our Favorites
Bel Viso Blueberry Swirl
Viola 'Bel Viso Blueberry Swirl'
Bel Viso Blueberry Swirl was top plant in our Trial Garden. It boasted tons of flowers on a floriferous, compact plant. It grows 6 inches tall and wide.
Bel Viso Pineapple Crush
Viola 'Bel Viso Pineapple Crush'
Bel Viso Pineapple Crush is a newer annual viola that shows off bicolor flowers on a floriferous, tidy plant. It grows 6 inches tall and wide.
Sorbet Beaconsfield
Viola 'Sorbet Beaconsfield'
Sorbet Beaconsfield is an outstanding annual viola with lovely bicolor purple-and-blue flowers. It grows 8 inches tall and wide.
Sorbet Coconut Swirl
Viola 'Sorbet Coconut Swirl'
Each bloom is different on Sorbet Coconut Swirl viola! The creamy-white flowers are delicately edged in shades of blue and purple. It grows 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide.
Sorbet Fire
Viola 'Sorbet Fire'
Sorbet Fire viola is a beautiful, frost-tolerant viola that shows of red flowers marked with yellow. At 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide, Sorbet Fire viola is an ideal spring annual for garden beds and borders.
Sorbet Lavender Pink
Viola 'Sorbet Lavender Pink'
Sorbet Lavender Pink viola shows off flowers in a delicate shade of soft, dusty lavender that looks good with a wide range of other colors. It grows 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide.
Sorbet Marina
Viola 'Sorbet Marina Improved'
Sorbet Marina violet is a lovely variety that bears masses of soft lavender-blue flowers all spring. It grows 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Sorbet Marina is lovely in containers, as well as planted with spring-flowering bulbs.
Sorbet Orange Jump Up
Viola 'Sorbet Orange Jump Up'
Sorbet Orange Jump Up is ideal for adding a festive touch to fall gardens with its bold purple-and-orange bicolor blooms. It grows 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide.
Sorbet Primrose Blotch
Viola 'Sorbet Primrose Blotch'
Perfect for early spring, Sorbet Primrose Blotch viola offers soft pink flowers on a tidy, mounding plant. It grows 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide.
Sorbet Yellow Pink Wing
Viola 'Sorbet Yellow Pink Wing'
Sorbet Yellow Pink Wing is a fun multi-color viola that features yellow flowers topped by rosy-pink petals. It grows 8 inches tall and wide.