Viola tricolor

Sought after for the delicacy of its flower, Viola tricolor, also known as Heartsease, is a small annual or biennial plant from which the cultivated pansy descends, bravely braving the harshness of winter to decorate our gardens. From summer to winter, it tirelessly displays its hand-painted corollas, which can be blue, white, yellow, and violet, each flower having its own personality. Over time, it forms a beautiful carpet of leaves and flowers and self-seeds abundantly in fresh, well-drained soil in the sun.

Belonging to the violet family, Viola tricolor, or wild pansy, grows spontaneously in many regions of temperate Europe and Asia. It is a low perennial plant that has given rise to many hybrids, the most famous of which are garden pansies. It is a herbaceous ground-covering plant, reaching a height of 15cm (6in) when in flower. Its dark green, ovate, and lobed evergreen leaves form a spreading tuft with a somewhat creeping habit. It can sometimes be perennial, but most often biennial. Depending on the sowing date, this plant flowers from spring to winter, sometimes continuously if pruned at the end of summer. Its solitary and lateral flowers, carried on long peduncles, appear on aerial stems. The sepals are never larger than the corolla, which is 10 to 25mm (0.3 to 1in) long. It can be violet, purple, blue, yellow, or white. The tricolour form, yellow, white, and violet, is the most sought after and gives the species its name. The entire flower measures about 15mm (1in) in diameter, and the petals have a silky texture that reflects light well. The angular, branched stems bear ovate, lobed, or lanceolate leaves. This plant spreads quite rapidly thanks to its rhizomes and also self-seeds very easily in the garden.

Horned violets and tricolour pansies are intended for low flower beds, borders, as well as pots and balcony planters, where they will be associated with other spring and summer flowering plants (Forget-me-nots, Dwarf daffodils, Daisies, Primroses, Botanical tulips, summer and autumn asters, etc.). The flowers of violets and pansies are edible, so don't hesitate to decorate your plates with one or two flowers, or even add some to your salads to give them a touch of colour.