Viola
Viola spp.
Special Features
With their cheerful and colorful flowers, a garden staple. Versatile, blooming in both spring and fall, they attract a variety of pollinators.
Plant Specifications
Our team will help you integrate this plant into your landscape design
Growing Viola on Martha's Vineyard
Violas are tenacious, freely spreading perennials that naturalize readily across many garden habitats on Martha's Vineyard, from the sun-dappled lawns of Edgartown to the shaded woodland floors of up-island properties in West Tisbury. Native violet species are particularly well-adapted to the island's sandy, acidic soils and tolerate the variable moisture conditions that characterize a maritime climate. Their early spring bloom coincides with the arrival of season-opening planting work, providing welcome color while more elaborate perennials are still establishing.
Deer occasionally browse viola foliage but rarely devastate an established colony. Professional maintenance on island properties typically involves periodic editing to contain self-seeding spread and prevent violas from overtaking more refined companion plantings.
