Viola 'Helen Mount' (T)

RHS Plant Profile
viola 'Helen Mount'

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Synonyms

Viola 'Johnny Jump Up'

Herbaceous Perennial Annual Biennial
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A short-lived, evergreen perennial to about 15cm, often grown as an annual. Flowers, produced from early summer to late autumn, have rich purple upper petals, and pale purple to yellow lower petals, with dark purple whiskers

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Violaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy, Clump forming
Genus
Viola can be annuals, biennials or deciduous or evergreen perennials, with simple or pinnately lobed leaves and 5-petalled flowers of characteristic shape
Name Status
Unresolved
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Viola tricolor are also known as wild pansy, and have small, tri-coloured flowers in shades of purple and yellow with 'whiskery' markings

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by softwood tip cuttings in spring or late summer. May be short-lived so propagate regularly

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Bedding
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Deadhead to prolong flowering. After flowering, cut back vigorous plants to maintain shape

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, snails, aphids, red spider mites and violet leaf midges

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews, pansy leaf spot, a virus and a rust