Depending on the variety, horned violets can bloom in a wide variety of colors from spring to autumn. You can cultivate them in beds or in containers.
Violets (Viola cornuta) delight us with their tireless blooming joy. The mini pansies seem to produce new flower heads again and again. The violet family is extremely species-rich and blooms in all imaginable colors. Horned violets are preferably planted in tubs or balcony boxes. The colorful permanent bloomers are also ideal as underplanting. In the following you will find out what should be considered when caring for and cultivating.
Origin of Horned Violet
Horn violets are counted among the violets. Around 500 species occur worldwide. They are significantly smaller than pansies and tower over the wild field pansies. In the past centuries, it was possible to breed numerous colorful hybrids by crossing horned violets and pansies.
Short profile for the horned violet
| Violet (Viola cornuta) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | bushy |
| Growth: | 15 - 20 cm |
| Flower: | multicolored, March to October |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | sandy to loamy, rich in humus, fresh |
Plant Horned Violets
The right location for the horned violet
Horn violets prefer a light, sunny to partially shaded location. The robust plants will probably not die in the shade, but will hardly develop flowers and grow rather stunted.
Horn violets are not only convincing in the bed. The flowering plants can also be cultivated in a plant pot or tub on the balcony or terrace.
The right substrate for horned violets
The horned violet requires a loose and permeable garden soil. The substrate must not dry out. A humus rich soil is preferred. In order to provide the plants with the nutrients they need for long-lasting flowering, mature compost or horn meal can be mixed into the substrate.
Sow horn violets
Violet can be sown all year round until the end of the growing season. If the location is chosen well, the plant will continuously sow itself and tend to go wild. This is exciting to experience for the hobby gardener, because new color variations can always arise.
If you collect the seeds for the plants yourself, you have to pay attention to a few things. The seeds must come into contact with frost before they germinate. This is when the seeds are sown in trays in late summer and placed outdoors. There they can hibernate in a sheltered place and need to be evenly supplied with moisture. In the spring the seeds begin to germinate. When several pairs of leaves have formed, the seedlings are pricked out and cultivated in individual planters.
Tip: You can also get the seeds in stores - for example here at Amazon:
Planting horned violets - step by step
1. Select location
2. Prepare soil
3. Create planting holes
4. Note distances
5. Insert plants
6. Fill in soil7. Press plants gently
8. Water plants
Violet can be planted from March. The planting season ends at the end of September or beginning of October, depending on the weather. The plants are placed in the ground at a distance of ten centimeters. Planting in groups is recommended, as this simply makes the mini pansies stand out better.
An overview of the most important planting tips
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Set Location | • bright • sunny to semi-shady |
| Select substrate | • moist • permeable • nutrient rich |
| planting | • Group planting recommended • Planting distance: 10 cm |
Caring for Horned Violets
Water horn violets correctly
Whether and how often horned violets need to be watered depends on the location. Water regularly in sunny locations. Lack of water is indicated by plants drooping their flower heads.
Tip: Horned violets in the bucket have a high moisture requirement.
Potted plants are always watered when the surface of the soil has dried slightly. The plants must not be washed in, otherwise waterlogging will occur. A drainage made of potsherds or gravel ensures that the liquid can drain off better and waterlogging is prevented.
If the mini pansies have been placed in the shade, less watering is required. Even the rain is often enough for the plants. Of course, this depends on the precipitation tendency and the prevailing temperatures.
Anyone who uses horned violets as underplanting for trees and shrubs must not neglect watering. Even if the plants are in the shade, they need moisture because the rainwater is kept off by the foliage and usually cannot penetrate to the roots.
Fertilize horned violets correctly
Horn violets are frugal and do not need to be fertilized regularly. If the substrate is sufficiently supplied with nutrients, the plants do not need any further fertilization. If you want to support flowering in the summer, you can add some commercially available fertilizer for flowering plants to the irrigation water, such as the COMPO flower fertilizer with guano.
Cutting horned violets
Cut measures are not absolutely necessary. If you want to extend the flowering period and encourage bushy growth of the plants, you should use scissors. Horned violets are cut after the first flower has withered. Cut back about a hand's breadth above the ground.
Tip: Re-flowering can also be stimulated if wilted flowers and leaves are removed regularly.
Propagating Horned Violets…
In addition to the sowing described above, horned violets can also be propagated by cuttings or by division.
… by cuttings
Propagation by cuttings produces strong and long-lasting plants. The right time for this method is autumn.
Propagation by cuttings - step by step
1. Choose a strong plant
2. Cut the top cutting
3. Plant the cuttings
4. Moisten the substrate
5. Wait for rooting
A head cutting about five centimeters long is cut from the mother plant. A cool and shady location is selected. There the cuttings can be placed in the ground. The soil is moist but not too wet to keep. After about two weeks, the cuttings form roots. This is shown by the sprouting of new pairs of leaves.
… by division
The division cannot be carried out automatically on every plant. This form of propagation is only advisable about every three years. The division then also serves as a rejuvenation measure for the mother plant. Horned violets can be divided in spring or autumn.
Propagation by division - step by step
1.Dig up the plant completely
2. Remove the soil from the roots
3. Divide the rootstock in half
4. Replant the sections
5. Observe the spacing
6 Fill in the soil
7. Water the plants
8. Cultivate the plants as usual
In order to be able to divide the plant, the horned violet must first be dug up. If the soil is removed from the roots, the hobby gardener has the opportunity to check the condition of the roots and to remove old and dried out root sections. The root ball is then divided in the middle with a sharp spade. You will receive two equal plants, which are immediately put back into the ground and cultivated as usual.
Recognize diseases on horned violets
Horn violets are robust and rarely affected by diseases or pests. In warm and humid summers, mildew can affect plants. An infestation can be recognized by a whitish coating reminiscent of flour on the leaves and flowers. Diseased plants should be removed immediately.
The development of powdery mildew can be prevented if the plants are not watered on the leaves but only in the root area. So that the horned violets can breathe sufficiently and the liquid evaporates, a planting distance of at least ten centimeters must be maintained. To avoid waterlogging, it is better to water less and more often.
Winter horned violets
The perennial plants are well adapted to our climate and usually survive the winter without any problems. Temperatures down to -15 degrees are tolerated. In particularly severe frosts, a covering of brushwood or leaves can provide protection.
If the plants are going to overwinter outdoors in pots, you should place them on a wooden or polystyrene base. It also makes sense to cover them with a winter fleece.
Tip: Horned violets must not dry out even in winter.
Are horned violets poisonous?
Horn violets can be planted without hesitation. The plants are even edible, often add value to colorful salads and ensure a colorful dish in the restaurants. Horned violets also pose no danger to cats, dogs, rodents or birds.