Viola cornuta Butterfly Antique Violet - Horned pansy

Viola cornuta F1 'Butterfly Antique Violet' is a beautiful pastel novelty in shades of mauve. It bears an abundance of flowers over a long period. The plants are floriferous, vigorous, and well-branched. They remain compact over time. These easy-to-grow biennials create charming borders and opulent pots. Horned pansies grow in humus-rich soil, in partial shade or dappled sunlight.

It belongs to the Violaceae family, and grows wild in the Pyrenees. It is a low perennial plant that has given rise to numerous hybrids. Often crossed with Viola tricolor (wild pansy), their most famous descendants are the garden pansies. The 'Butterfly Antique Violet' selection, from which it originates, is a tufted and spreading herbaceous plant, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) tall when in flower, with dark green, ovate, and serrated leaves, forming a spreading tuft. The vegetation persists in winter. It is covered in flowers from March to June or from September to December. Its flowers resemble those of small pansies, but their petals are arranged differently. The two almost pale-pink upper petals are upright, while the other three are downward-facing and range from pink-violet to deeper mauve. The plant spreads quite rapidly with its rhizomes. It self-seeds easily in the garden, although not always faithfully.

Horned pansies are suitable for bed, borders, and pots. They can be paired with other spring or autumn flowering plants (forget-me-nots, pansies, primroses, dwarf daffodils, daisies, primroses, botanical tulips, and summer and autumn asters). The flowers are edible, so use them to decorate your plates, or even add some to your salads to give them a colourful touch.

Please be aware that our young plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners. Upon receipt, transplant them as soon as possible in pots, flower boxes, or directly in flower beds.