Viola Northern Lights ('Smev4') (Celestial Series) (Va)

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viola [Northern Lights]

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viola [Northern Lights] RHS / Joanna Kossak

Synonyms

Viola 'Smev4'

Herbaceous Perennial
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A compact, rounded evergreen perennial with a mound of lush dark green leaves and masses of fragrant, purple flowers with a yellow-orange blush which appear from spring through to autumn, and sometimes beyond in milder climates

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

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

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

Fragrance Flower
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
Trade
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

Violas are compact reliably perennial, clump-forming plants with a complex root system and rounded, more or less fragrant flowers, often with darker rays, over a long period in late spring and summer

How to Grow

Cultivation

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

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in late winter or early spring or propagate by stem-tip cuttings in spring or late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Cut flowers
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
  • Garden edging

Pruning

Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, snails, aphids, glasshouse red spider mite and violet gall midge

Diseases

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