Viola sororia

‘Rubra’

RED EMPEROR VIOLET

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’
RED EMPEROR VIOLET

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’ deserves the common name of Red Emperor Violet.
Blooms are richly royal ruby-red.

Sweetly scented in garden & vase

They are also sweetly scented, and make delightful small vases when picked as a posy.

Easy groundcover for under trees & shrubs

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’ makes a showy groundcover under trees and shrubs, especially when teamed with winter blooming Hellebores, spring blooming Foxgloves and bulbs, and summer Hosta foliage. The rich colour of the flowers really lights up a gloomy place.
It revels in the conditions under trees and shrubs, and decorates both with scented flowers and decorative heart shaped foliage.
Growing easily in Dappled Light & Shade; Full Shade; or Morning Sun.
Where the foliage makes a dense carpet that helps suppress weeds.

Handy long blooming groundcover

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’ is the perfect ground hugging companion.
And has a long blooming period, from early spring right through to early/mid summer.

Delicious & decorative edible flowers

Red Emperor Violet flowers are also edible with a sweet flavour as well as lovely fragrance and colour.
So they make pretty decoration for cakes, mixed into green salads, stir-fries, fruit salads and cool drinks; or just as a garnish.

Deer resistant groundcover

However deer do not like the taste and the plants are deer resistant, but unfortunately rabbits will have a nibble if no tastier fodder is available.

Pollinator friendly

Though our essential little friends, the flying pollinators including bees, find the flowers a real nectar treat.

Tough enough to tackle clay & a wide range of soils

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’ easily adjusts to a wide range of soil types – from sandy, through average garden loam, and is even tough enough to tackle clay.
It will also tolerate a wide range of soil pH, from acid to alkaline.

Frost hardy

The Red Emperor Violet is exceptionally frost hardy, and can easily tolerate temperatures to below -20C.

Resilient & low maintenance

Viola sororia ‘Rubra’ creates a 10-15cm. High mound of foliage, with the flowers sitting perkily on top x 20cm. Wide dense mound of foliage.
The foliage usually remains evergreen in mild climates, but may become dormant and retreat back to the rhizomes in areas with high summer temperatures. This is a natural defence, and not of concern. Viola sororia is a resilient and tough little plant, so the leaves will be back with the autumn.
While it can cope with high summer temperatures, sadly it is not a plant for areas with high summer humidity too.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Indoors for early quick plants: First soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water that has been previously boiled.
This will help to soften the hard coating of the seed.
Seeds that sink are taking moisture in and are ready to sow.
While seeds that float need a further period of soaking.

Now sow the seed in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then gently press the seeds onto the surface of the mix, to ensure good contact.

Then barely cover the seed, because light helps germination of this plant.
You can use sieved mix, fine grit, fine vermiculite, or washed sand to sprinkle over the seeds.

Now stand the sown punnet in a shallow water bath.
So the moisture percolates up through the mix from the bottom to thoroughly moisten the mix throughout.
Soak for a short time until moisture appears on the surface of the mix, and then remove and drain.
The mix needs to be moist throughout, but not wet.

Then place the moist, sown punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sun).

Temperatures of 18-22°C approx. are best for rapid and optimum germination.
You can use a temperature-controlled heat mat if you have one to encourage rapid germination, but it is not essential. A warm, well-lit corner is also fine.

Adding a clear plastic cover helps to retain moisture in the punnet.
And continue to keep the punnet moist by spraying the surface of the mix a fine spray water bottle, or re-soaking in the water bath, as required.

Seedlings often begin to emerge in approx. 30 days.

A “pretend winter” helps

However if the seeds are shy to germinate and have not appeared in 30 days, then the seeds need a period of chilling (pretend winter) to break their natural dormancy. This dormancy is normal for plants from areas with cold winters.

So wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap, place in the fridge (not freezer) for 5-6 weeks (this mimics winter).
Then remove, unwrap, moisten, and return to a well-lit place for germination.
Cooler temperatures of 10-15C are beneficial in this final period of germination – so a shaded winter verandah is fine.

Seed Count: 20 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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