Viola odorata rosea at Sequim Rare Plants

Olympic   Coast  Garden
Viola odorata rosea

Viola odorata rosea

We had this fragrant viola ten years ago. And I thought we had lost it due to my neglect. Because it seemed to perpetuate itself from year to year without any attention I didn't do anything to help guard against its loss, such as planting it in more than one location or pampering it with fertilizer. Several years ago, the spot where it grew seemed to be completely empty of it. Other Viola odoratas had moved in to occupy its space. And we gave up hope on its survival. A happy discovery this month of March, 2011, is finding a large plant of it in flower. The weather on that day was very cool. Getting on my hands and knees to see if its flowers were scented led me to think it was not the same pink viola we used to have, because there didn't seem to be any scent to the blossoms. However, it was potted up into a large clay pot and brought into a greenhouse. The warmth of the greenhouse made a difference, bringing out a strong, sweet fragrance to the flowers.

We will never know whether a plant of this survived during the years we thought it was absent, which seems unlikely since nothing bloomed with these flowers for a number of years. Or on the other hand, whether plants might have died out but seeds of the original plant may have lain dormant, buried deeper than they would sprout, only waiting until some chance of tilling the soil or weeding would bring them closer to the surface.