Viola cornuta Butterfly Mix

Similar to a butterfly in flight, this selection of Viola cornuta Butterfly brings together highly floriferous plants that display a range of sparkling pure or two-tone colours on large, silky flowers. These horned violets will delight enthusiasts of colour and fantasy. Ideal for adorning balconies, terraces and borders from spring to autumn, these vigorous yet easy to grow biennials appreciate humus-rich soils and dappled sunlight.

Belonging to the violet family, the horned violet grows wild in the Pyrenees and is a low-growing perennial plant that has given rise to numerous hybrids. Often crossed with Viola tricolor (wild pansy), their most famous descendants are horticultural pansies. The 'Butterfly mix' selection produces herbaceous, spreading and compact plants measuring 10 to 15 cm (32.8 to 49.2 in) when in flower, with dark green, evergreen, ovate and crenate leaves, forming a tuft with a spreading habit. They are covered in flowers from spring to autumn. Their flowers form a beautiful array of bright and pure colours, ranging from white to yellow to orange, red, purple, or adopting different shades of blue or violet, depending on the plants. The throat of each flower is discreetly marked with fine black stripes radiating from a small centre of contrasting colour. They resemble those of small pansies but with petals arranged differently: the two upper ones are erect, the other three inclined downwards. The plant spreads quite rapidly thanks to its rhizomes and also self-seeds very easily in the garden, not always faithfully.

Horned violets are intended for low flowerbeds and borders, as well as pots and balconies, where they will combine well with other spring and summer flowering plants (Forget-me-nots, Dwarf daffodils, Daisies, Primroses, Botanical tulips, summer and autumn asters, etc.). The flowers of horned violets are edible, so don't hesitate to decorate your plates with a few or even to add to salads for a touch of colour.

Please note that our young plants in mini-plugs are professional products intended for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant them as soon as possible into pots, or directly into flower beds.