Carol Klein's favourite violas

More of Carol Klein's favourites:

Discover Carol Klein's favourite violas, below.

Viola odorata

Our native sweet violet, Viola odorata, is ideal for naturalising under trees or shrubs. In the past, numerous varieties were available, but cultivating them in any numbers can be tricky.

Flowers: February-March.

Height x spread: 20cm x 30cm.

Viola 'Jackanapes'

Viola 'Jackanapes' is a small-flowered cultivar with distinctive colouring – two maroon back petals and bright-yellow lower petals with 'whiskers'.

F: April-October.

H x S: 15cm x 25cm.

Viola 'Rebecca'

Viola 'Rebecca' is a standout variety. Each pale flower has a deep-purple picotee edge. Neat, compact and prolific, it's ideal for pots where its fragrant flowers can be best appreciated.

F: April-October.

H x S: 15cm x 25cm.

Viola 'Dawn'

'Dawn' has abundant creamy-yellow flowers that add a bright splash of sunny colour to a lightly shaded spot. Plant in containers or baskets to enjoy their sweet fragrance up close.

F: April-October.

H x S: 15cm x 25cm.

Viola 'Etain'

A delightful 'old-fashioned' viola with neat rounded petals of a soft creamy-yellow, outlined in soft blue. Very floriferous and highly scented.

F: April-October.

H x S: 15cm x 25cm.

Viola tricolor

Heartsease is a charming wildflower. To find it among grasses and clover in a summer meadow is a real treat.

F: May-October.

H x S: 12cm x 15cm.

Viola 'Belmont Blue'

Versatile and long-flowering, this viola produces masses of dainty blooms, whose colour fades elegantly to an array of lilacs and pale blues.

F: April-July.

H x S: 10cm x 20cm.

Viola sororia 'Freckles'

This North American species has made itself at home in Europe, where it self-seeds freely. There are purple and white forms, but 'Freckles' combines the two, its white petals splashed with purple.

F: March-June.

H x S: 15cm x 20cm.