Viola tricolor L.
European Wild Pansy
Wild pansy, better known to many as heartsease, is a charming native annual or short-lived perennial and the wild ancestor behind today's garden pansies. Its flowers are larger and more colourful than those of the field pansy, typically combining shades of violet-blue, yellow and creamy white in the classic three-coloured 'face', held above branching stems with lobed leaves and leafy stipules.
About
Wild pansy, better known to many as heartsease, is a charming native annual or short-lived perennial and the wild ancestor behind today's garden pansies. Its flowers are larger and more colourful than those of the field pansy, typically combining shades of violet-blue, yellow and creamy white in the classic three-coloured 'face', held above branching stems with lobed leaves and leafy stipules.
It grows on disturbed and cultivated ground, grassy places, banks and short turf, doing best in moderately fertile, well-drained soils in sun or light shade, and it self-seeds generously where conditions suit. Flowering over a long season from spring well into summer, its nectar-rich blooms are popular with bees and other pollinators. Easy and cheerful, heartsease works well in annual and meadow seed mixes, gravelly or recently disturbed areas, cottage-style borders and wildlife plantings where its long flowering and free seeding are an asset.
Also known as
Field Pansy · Heart's-ease · Heartsease · Johnny Jump Up, Heartsease, Heart's Delight · Wild Pansy
Synonyms
Viola calcarata · Viola cenisia · Viola curtisiae · Viola gracilis · Viola occulta · Viola tenella · Viola tricolor luteo-coerulescens · Viola tricolor luteo-roseola · Viola tricolor perobscura · Viola tricolor pulcherrima · Viola tricolor purpurascens
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.