- Author: Melissa Sandoval
Right now, the fragrance I smell when walking through my garden is that of violets. After doing some research in Sunset Western Garden Book my first guess is that these violets are Viola adunca, California Sweet Violet or Western Dog Violet. I am saying my first guess as they came into my garden on a clump about 5 inches wide from my grandmother's garden. From that small clump they have spread to many shady areas of my yard, even under the orange tree and into the lawn. They spread by runners and seeds. My grandmother's garden was in Sunset Zone 7, where V. adunca is native. But a bit more research of actual flower photos makes me think they are actually V. odorata instead, as they lack the bright orange stigmas of the V. adunca.
They make wonderful groundcover in any area with shade mixed with bright light or even some morning sun. Here they are under a Camellia japonica.
They bloom better when they have been thinned out and given a very light fertilizer in late fall or winter. Violets are also great filler beside a walkway or in crazy paving as shown in the next picture.
Their smell, though light, is a delight to wander into during these late winter months. They also represent, for me, a link to the gardens and gardeners in my history.