Viola sororia Freckles

Viola sororia 'Freckles' is the North American equivalent of our wood violet but it forms larger clumps with large, branching rhizomes that do not produce stolons.

Its heart-shaped leaves are a beautiful, shiny dark green. The 'Freckles' variety is distinguished by its white flowers heavily speckled with purple that bloom from May to early summer.

Easy to grow in partial shade, it forms a lovely groundcover at the base of primroses, coral bells, and brunneras.

Violets and pansies belong to the Viola genus. How can you differentiate a violet from a pansy? By the arrangement of their petals: the former has two upright petals and three downward-facing petals, while the latter has four upright petals, with the fifth, larger than the others, drooping. Violets are almost all native to temperate regions of the globe. The majority of them are perennials, but hybrids with large flowers are sold and used as annual plants.