Viola

This hardy perennial blooms almost nonstop all year in warm Winter, cool Summer areas such as the SF Bay Area. ‘Starry Night’ features lightly fragrant 2” bright yellow flowers edged with luscious lavender and held just above a tidy mound of foliage to 6” tall and 10” wide. Violas are happiest and longest blooming in cool Summer areas. In hotter climates they are generally treated as hardy annuals and are planted in the Fall, remain evergreen all Winter, and ultimately produce some of the earliest Spring blooms. Planting out of the way of direct mid-day sun will encourage later season blooms. Happiest in fertile, well-drained soil. Makes an excellent container plant, especially where the blooms can be appreciated at eye level. Combines well in the garden with other shade-loving perennials such as hellebores, columbines, and smaller ferns. The flowers attract bees and hummers.