Buy Wild Violet Plants
Wild violets are both edible and medicinal and come up in the late winter or early spring. Foraging for wild violets is easy as they grow almost everywhere! Wild violets are an edible and medicinal flower, and easy to spot! Learn how to identify and forage for wild violets, and the many ways to use them in the kitchen and in herbal medicine.
buy wild violet plants
I think the thing that I love most about wild violets is that they are usually the first flower to show their face in early spring. Actually, where we live in Southern Oregon they come up in mid-February!
I am lucky that my yard has lots of these violets. However, it also has violets thay have flowers that are mainly white with just a streak of purple in the center. Are the white flowered Violets just as useful?
My sisters and I used to pick violets for our mother. She would always tell us to leave some for the bees. What a wonderful article about these sweet little flowers. I have numerous violet plants in my yard. Some of the violets are white and some are pink.
A friend sent me your website. I am delighted to have it and sent a request to get your blog and look forward to reading more about your homesteading life . I am a homesteader in SW Michigan, blogger, writer/photographer and forager as well as a Reiki master, herbalist and chicken keepers. I have tons of violets and give them to my chickens in season with other fresh herbs which they adore. Blessings!
Wild violets (Viola odorata) have heart-shaped leaves with purple-blue flowers. Some varieties also have white or yellow blooms. Although in some areas they are considered annuals or biennials, wild violets often self-seed, coming back each year in unexpected locations.
The flowers that are low on the plant, referred to as cleistogamous flowers, do not open but instead produce and house seeds, allowing the plant to readily reproduce. The only downside to this attribute is the fact that wild violets have a tendency to become invasive, popping up nearly everywhere, if not controlled with some type of barrier.
Growing violets is easy and with care they have many uses in the garden. Wild violets make great accents around trees, near water sources, and beds. They also make excellent choices for instant ground cover in a woodland garden. They can even be grown in containers.
Violets can be planted nearly anytime throughout spring and fall, though early spring is preferable. These plants enjoy light shade but will also thrive in sunny locations. While they tolerate many soil types, wild violets prefer soil that is moist, yet well-draining, and rich in organic matter.
When growing violets, other than watering following planting and occasional watering throughout the growing season, wild violet flowers require very little care. These resilient little plants tend to take care of themselves.
If desired, cutting the flower stalks back can help alleviate problems with spurting seeds. Those choosing to propagate wild violets can divide established plants in spring or fall, though their self-seeding capabilities make this unnecessary. Seeds can also be collected and then sown in fall either indoors or in a cold frame.
Sweet violets are short, groundcover perennial plants that add a deep purple color and texture to your outdoor space. With a graceful, trailing vine, they produce fragrant, colorful flowers throughout the spring and summer months. These hardy plants come in various colors, from vibrant blues and purples to deep reds and velvety blacks. Their easy-care nature makes them perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike!
Bring some natural beauty into your garden with sweet violets. They are easy to grow and require minimal care, making them an ideal choice for those with busy lifestyles. The sweet scent of the flowers can even attract pollinators like bees or butterflies too!
Violets: There might be no greater pleasure than spotting the first springtime violets. These adorable flowers grow throughout almost every USDA growing zone. While these perennial plants prefer semi-shade, they will also tolerate sunshine, especially if you have plentiful rainfall to cool them.
Violets are one particular flower among a large variety that includes verbena, catmint, violas, pansies, and bellflower. Your violets might be white, blue, purple, lavender, or blue-violet. You might even get a combination of two of these colors together. Seeing the color is part of the fun!
Wild violets (viola papilionacea, viola sororia) are low-growing perennials that bloom in mid-May. While some people consider them a lovely decorative plant for gardens and landscaping, others consider them a bothersome weed because they display an aggressive behavior that is very hard to control. These persistent perennials have dense, fibrous root systems and are typically found in moist, shady areas, but can also grow in sunny, arid areas. The flowers and leaves are edible and are thought to possess medicinal qualities. High in vitamins A and C, the leaves are sometimes used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be candied, and add color when tossed into a salad.
The springtime flowers are usually violet in color, but can range from deep blue all the way to white. Common blue and wooly blue violets can have a purple, blue, or violet color, while confederate violets have white petals that are tinged with violet on the inside. There are also some yellow violets. Each flower appears on its own leafless stalk. This broadleaf plant has waxy, serrated leaves that are oblong and come to a point at the tip.
Underneath the ground, wild violets have thick clumps of underground stems, called rhizomes, which store water and help make the plant drought resistant. These rhizomes are hardy survivors that send forth new shoots when the plant is plucked from above.
Wild violets come in over 100 different varieties. Although they all are edible, some are more palatable than others. The common blue violet is the most harvested. Flowers have 5 petals and a symmetrical, butterfly shape with varying hues of blue. The stem is bent at the point where the flower is attached giving the flower its characteristic drooping appearance. Leaves are green and heart-shaped.
Beginning foragers should only harvest the flowers of the violet. Leaves are edible but because the leaves are easily confused with other non-edible plants it is important to stick with the sure bet if you are unfamiliar with violets and their look-alikes. Violet flowers can be used to garnish salads or flavor vinegar and syrup. Pick them fresh for salads or freeze them while you continue to collect enough of the desired quantity for an infused vinegar or syrup recipe.
Be certain you have permission before harvesting wild products. Many products can be harvested on publics lands but require a permit or specific use; make sure you are familiar with the policies for the products you harvest. Always respect private property.
Wild violet in the Ojibwe language is known as waawiye-bagag referring to the plants' rounded petals and leaves. All plants offer powerful healing properties. Medicinal knowledge must be sought from an elder using proper protocols and earned over time. There must be a relationship between the healer and the medicine being used.
Most all plants also offer food; waawiye-bagag is no exception. In the spring not long after the maple sugar harvest, Ojibwe youth and elder alike would harvest purple petals to fill Makakoon (birch bark containers). Warm water would be added and petals were allowed to steep overnight. The next day sugar snow from the swamps would be brought to camp and the infused water poured over the snow. The original snow cone or slushy is a springtime delight.
If you are reading this then it is likely Spring time in your area. And you are probably wondering what all of those pretty little purple flowers are popping up in yards and wild areas. Congratulations! Spring is definitely here as violets are one of the surest signs of warmer temperatures to come.
The green leaves of wild violet have a very unique shape. They are kind of a strange roundish, oval or even heart shape (cordate). But they wrap around their stem, almost forming a kind of funnel or incomplete bowl. The edges will be serrated. [1]
The flowers of wild violet are dark purple, with 5 petals. The inner-throat of the flower is white. Two petals are on top, two on the side, and a final petal at the bottom. It is thought that the 5th petal on the bottom is for insects/pollinators to land on. The flowers will bloom for 4-6 weeks. Once the temperatures get hot, above 80 F (27 C) the flowers generally fade and disappear. [1]
Violets can be propagated by seed or division. The seeds of wild violets are thrown from the plant when mature. This can be a difficult seed to germinate, so it is best to let mother nature do it for you. Just scatter seeds in the general area you wish to grow them, then watch for heart shaped leaves to emerge in spring/summer. But, if you are dead set on germinating the seeds yourself, then OK. 041b061a72