How to grow Viola in Australia
Violas and their larger-flowered relatives, pansies, are cheerful cool-season flowers with little faces in purple, yellow, white, blue and every mix between. Sown or planted in autumn, they flower through winter and spring when little else does, feed early bees, and their flowers are edible, perfect for salads and cakes.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Viola in Australia
At a glance
When to sow by region
| Region | When to sow | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland | March to July | |
| Northern Rivers NSW | March to July | |
| Sydney & Coastal NSW | March to July | |
| Melbourne & Victoria | March to July | |
| Adelaide & SA | March to July | |
| Perth & WA | March to July | |
| Tasmania | February to April, September and October | Sow Feb to Apr for winter flowers or Sep to Oct for spring. Violas love Tasmanian cool. |
| Canberra & ACT | February to April, September and October | Sow Feb to Apr for winter and spring flowers, or Sep to Oct. Violas flower through Canberra frost. |
| North Queensland | April and May | Marginal. Sow Apr to May so plants flower in the coolest months. |
| Darwin & Top End | May and June | Marginal. Sow May to Jun for the coolest nights of the dry. |
Where to plant
Violas grow in full sun with some afternoon shade, or in part shade, in moist, fertile, well-drained soil with compost dug in. They are frost hardy and flower right through cold winters.
They are cool-season plants. As the weather warms in late spring, they get leggy and stop flowering, so most gardeners treat them as annuals and replant each autumn.
- South East Queensland, the Northern Rivers, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth: sow or plant from March to July for flowers from winter into spring.
- Hobart and Canberra: sow from February to April for winter and spring flowers, or in September and October for spring and early summer. They flower through frost.
- North Queensland: marginal; sow in April and May to flower in the coolest months. Darwin: sow in May and June.
Choosing a variety
- Heartsease, or Johnny jump up, has tiny purple, yellow and white flowers and self-seeds freely.
- Compact viola mixes give masses of small flowers in a wide range of colours and are ideal for pots, edging and edible flowers.
- Pansies have larger flowers on similar plants; they are grown the same way but flower a little less prolifically.
How to plant
- Sow the fine seed thinly on moist seed-raising mix in punnets and cover it lightly.
- Cover the punnet with newspaper or put it somewhere dark, as the seed germinates best in darkness. Keep it moist.
- Remove the cover as soon as seedlings appear, usually in 10 to 14 days, and move them into bright light.
- Plant seedlings out when they are 5 to 7 cm tall, about 15 to 25 cm apart. Or buy punnets of seedlings in autumn.
Watering and feeding
Keep the soil evenly moist for steady flowering, watering at the base of the plants.
Feed every couple of weeks with a liquid flower fertiliser while they are flowering.
Pruning and care through the year
- Pick off spent flowers regularly. Deadheading stops the plant setting seed and keeps new buds coming; Gardening Australia notes that well-deadheaded pansies can flower for about six months.
- Trim back leggy plants by about a third to encourage fresh, compact growth.
- Pull plants out once the heat arrives and they stop flowering, and plant summer flowers in their place.
Picking flowers
Pick flowers for eating or decorating in the morning, when they are fresh and fully open. Use only flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides. Picked flowers keep a day or two in a sealed container in the fridge.
Growing in pots
Violas are ideal for pots, troughs, hanging baskets and window boxes. Use a pot at least 20 cm wide and deep with a quality potting mix, water regularly and feed every couple of weeks.
Using it
Viola and pansy flowers are edible, with a mild, slightly sweet taste. Scatter them over salads, press them onto cakes and biscuits, or freeze them in ice cubes. Crystallised with egg white and sugar, they make lovely cake decorations.
Saving seed
Let a few flowers form seed pods at the end of the season. Collect them just as they turn from green to pale brown and point upwards, before they split and fling the seed, and dry them in a paper bag. Heartsease types often self-seed without help.
Companion planting
Violas are low and tidy, so they edge vegie beds and fill gaps, and their winter flowers feed bees when little else is blooming.
Good companions
- Lettuce A cool-season crop that shares the same bed and season; violas make a pretty edging.
- Strawberry A low partner for the bed edge whose flowers also need early bees.
Pests and diseases
Violas are easy, but soft growth attracts sap suckers and snails, and mildew can appear as the weather warms.
Pests to watch for
- Aphids Clusters on buds and under the leaves.
- Slugs Holes in leaves and flowers and slime trails after rain.
- Snails Chewed flowers and leaves overnight.
- Caterpillars Chewed leaves and buds.
Diseases to watch for
- Powdery mildew White powdery coating on the leaves, usually late in the season as the weather warms.
Common questions
When do you plant violas in Australia?
In late summer and autumn, from March to July in most regions, for flowers through winter and spring. In Hobart and Canberra sow from February to April or in spring. Pick your region at the top of the page for the months.
Are viola flowers edible?
Yes. Viola and pansy flowers are edible, with a mild, slightly sweet taste. Use only flowers that have not been sprayed, and use them fresh in salads or on cakes.
What is the difference between violas and pansies?
They are close relatives grown the same way. Pansies have larger flowers; violas have smaller flowers but usually more of them, and tend to be tougher.
Why are my violas leggy?
Warm weather and too much shade make violas stretch. Trim them back by about a third, and give them more sun. In late spring, heat ends their season.
Do violas come back every year?
They are usually grown as annuals and replanted each autumn, but some, such as heartsease, self-seed and come back on their own.
How do I keep violas flowering?
Pick off spent flowers regularly, keep the soil moist and feed every couple of weeks with a liquid flower fertiliser.
Sources we checked: Yates: How to grow violas; Gardening Australia: Pansies (deadheading); Gardening Australia: Edible flowers.