Viola odorata (common names: Banaf Shah)

bought from t&m oct 07
highly fragrant, cottage garden plants traditional english violets. flowers are edible and can be sugared and used on cakes flowers from late winter to early spring. naturally resistant to pests and diseases H: 8"

I bought two violet plants at a specialist nursery near Rattery, South Devon about 5 years ago, one was a native wild violet and the other was called 'Pamela Zambra'. They both did not bad for a few years but this year they have gone absolutely nuts! Half of the front peice of garden is covered with them as they have spread so much and have been blooming from early November and are still going strong, it looks as if they'll go on right through till they're over at the usual time of year. Must be global warming making them start so early?
One of my favourite scent is violet, isn't it strange that once you've smelt the scent of violets you can't smell them again for quite a while?

found a big clump of these growing at the back of the garden last spring (2007) so i dug them up and split them and put them in every shady spot available - they have done really well.

Planted Vistabile front gate

The violet was the flower of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. Crushed sweet-violets were often strewn on cottage and church floors to mask less pleasant smells!

The solitary, scented flowers have smaller upper petals and long stalks.
This is a downy plant with broad, glossy, heart-shaped leaves which grow bigger in summer. All leaves and flowers rise directly from the root stock. Sweet violet seeds freely

Plant type: groundcover perennial

Position:
Soil type: any well drained soil
Exposure: thrives best in light shade

Flowers: Feb - March & Sept-Nov
Colour:both white and violet
Fragrance:There are eight other native species of violet, but this is the only one in the family with a strong scent.