Viola The Czar

Common name:

Viola 'The Czar' (The Czar Violet)

Description:

Viola 'The Czar' is a charming, low-growing perennial ground cover renowned for its delicate, fragrant, violet-blue flowers and lush, spreading green foliage. This beautiful variety produces an abundance of elegant, five-petalled blooms in soft lavender-blue to rich violet tones, often featuring a small golden-yellow centre. The flowers rise gracefully above a dense carpet of attractive, heart-shaped leaves, creating a delightful display of colour and texture in shaded garden spaces. Growing approximately 20 cm tall and spreading up to 80 cm wide, Viola 'The Czar' forms a gently spreading ground cover that is ideal for woodland gardens, cottage gardens, shaded borders, rockeries and underplanting beneath trees and shrubs. Flowering predominantly from late winter through spring, with additional blooms possible during autumn and cooler periods, it provides valuable seasonal colour when many other plants are less active. Well suited to Melbourne's temperate climate, this hardy perennial thrives in part shade to full shade, preferring moist, fertile, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. It benefits from regular watering during warmer months and protection from harsh afternoon sunlight, which can cause foliage stress. Light trimming and the removal of ageing leaves help maintain a fresh, attractive appearance, while its spreading habit allows it to gradually establish a beautiful carpet of greenery. With its softly scented flowers, attractive foliage and excellent shade tolerance, Viola 'The Czar' is a wonderful choice for adding natural beauty, fragrance and colour to Australian gardens.

Form:

• Ground Cover

• Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature size:

• Height: 20 cm

• Width: Approximately 80 cm

Aspect:

• Part Shade

• Full Shade

Flowering:

• Flowers in Winter

• Flowers in Spring

• Flowers in Autumn

Flower colour:

• Violet Blue

• Lavender Blue

• Soft Purple

• Golden-Yellow Centres

Key attributes:

• Bee Attracting

• Butterfly Attracting

• Fragrant Foliage-Free Flowers

• Frost Tolerant

• Ground Cover

• Herbaceous

• Low Maintenance

• Perennial

• Scented flowers

• Shade Tolerant

• Spreading Growth Habit

• Suitable for Borders

• Suitable for Cottage Gardens

• Suitable for Mass Planting

• Suitable for Pots

• Suitable for Rockeries

• Suitable for Underplanting

• Suitable for Woodland Gardens

• Heat Sensitive: May experience reduced flowering and foliage stress during prolonged hot, dry weather.

• Moisture Loving: Prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil, particularly during Melbourne's warmer months.

Toxicity:

Viola 'The Czar' is generally considered to have low toxicity to humans, dogs and cats. However, this ornamental variety should not be consumed unless its suitability for culinary use has been confirmed. Ingestion of large quantities of plant material may cause mild gastrointestinal discomfort in sensitive individuals or animals.

Companion plants:

• Ajuga reptans

• Aquilegia (Columbine)

• Astilbe

• Bergenia

• Brunnera macrophylla

• Campanula

• Cyclamen

• Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

• Ferns

• Helleborus (Hellebore)

• Heuchera (Coral Bells)

• Hosta

• Lamium maculatum

• Primula (Primrose)

• Tiarella (Foamflower)

• Trillium

  Plant Growers Australia (PGA) is an innovative wholesale production nursery based in Melbourne, renowned for superior quality garden plants and pioneering breeding programs.
  PGA do not sell direct to the public, but their website has detailed information on this species that is available for everyone to access. 
  Visit www.pga.com.au for further details and photos of this plant.