Labrador violet
Viola labradorica ·
A low mat of small, heart-shaped leaves flushed dark purple, with lavender-violet flowers in spring.
- Size
- 4 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late April to late May
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Labrador violet
The planner designed this bed around Labrador violet when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Labrador violet stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Labrador violet × 23, lavender
- 2 Dwarf lady's mantle × 15, green
- 3 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Hellebore 'Pink Frost' × 3, pink
- 7 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 4 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 60% of the edge.
- 23 plants in 6 runs (5, 5, 4, 3, 3 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late April to late May.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 41 of the 48 plants (85%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Blue wood aster and tall astilbe 'Superba' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. Labrador violet repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Labrador violet goes in a border
At 4 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The purple-black leaves make a dark carpet that sets off gold and silver foliage above it. It seeds into cracks and gaps.
- Dark foliage groundcover for shade
- Between stepping stones
- Under hostas and ferns
What to plant with Labrador violet
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (16 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'June': its variegated leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Lady fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about Labrador violet
Does Labrador violet need sun or shade?
Labrador violet grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Labrador violet grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Labrador violet flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Early May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 5 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Labrador violet be planted?
8 in (20 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 in (10 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Labrador violet plants do I need?
At 8 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 27 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 16 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 86 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 23 in six groups.
Is there a native plant like Labrador violet?
Labrador violet is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woodland stonecrop: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not lavender, fine leaves, not medium.
- Dwarf crested iris: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; wants average soil.
- Common blue violet: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in taller, blue, purple or white, not lavender.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will Labrador violet spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds freely. Remove the spent flowers to limit seedlings.
What flowers after Labrador violet?
Labrador violet is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips': from late June to late August, 8 in tall.
What does Labrador violet look like in winter?
Labrador violet holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Viola
- Bird's-foot violet Viola pedata
- Common blue violet Viola sororia
- Horned violet Viola cornuta
- Sweet violet Viola odorata
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 4 in (10 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 in (20 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late April to late May; lavender
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; purple
- Shape
- Mat-forming, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.