Viola cornuta Admiration Seeds

Easy to grow,  the violet Admiration, also called Viola cornuta hybrida Admiration, bears a profusion of flowers with round, dark blue corollas for months on end. It goes well with spring bulbs and makes a decorative cover for the base of asters, while in rock gardens, it quickly spreads into a dark, evergreen carpet. It can also be used to create charming borders and lavish container displays. This small biennial plant can be grown in humus-rich soil, in partial shade or dappled shade.

Belonging to the family Violaceae, horned pansy or horned violet which grows wild in the Pyrenees, is a low-lying perennial plant that has engendered many hybrids, the most famous of which are garden pansies. The 'Admiration' variety, from which it is derived, is a herbaceous, spreading plant that reach 10 to 15 cm in height when in bloom. Its dark green, oval, crenate evergreen leaves form a vase-shaped, spreading clump. Depending on the date of sowing, this plant will cover itself with flowers from spring to autumn. The flowers are dark blue with tiny yellow centres. They are quite large, round and look like the common pansy flower except that their petals are arranged differently. The top two are upright while the other three are angled downwards. It spreads quite quickly with its rhizomes and easily self-seeds in the garden.

Horned violets are meant for decorating low-lying beds, borders, pots and balcony planters, where they can be combined with other spring and summer flowering plants (forget-me-nots, dwarf daffodils, common daisies, primroses, botanical tulips, summer and autumn asters).

The flowers of the horned violets are edible, so don't hesitate to decorate your plates with one or two flowers, or to use them to add a touch of colour to your salads.