So very carefully, I dug some wild violets from our Cedar Hill garden to transplant at our new home, hoping they’d survive the move.   They’ve thrived.  🙂

That was 10 years ago.

The small patch of viola did so well I shared them around, planting them in other beds & borders.  They grew happily in pretty much any situation.
Undaunted.
Workhorses.

And then some emigrated to the lawn.
Determined.

Now, each spring, their swath of purple blooms signals that soon, the rest of the garden will be bursting with colour too.

I just have to smile.  Some folks bemoan the fact that once violets get into the lawn, there really is no going back. Fortunately, C has relaxed his goal of a monocultural, grassy lawn.

• Who can complain about a city meadow of wildflowers that rarely grows high enough to mow?
• Or tough-as-nails groundcover that stays green through our dry summers?
• Or flowers that deer ignore?

The identification of violets isn’t as easy as I expected.  There are well over 500 species worldwide, with many indigenous to North America.

For a long time, I figured this little gem was the Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia), but those are from the continent’s eastern side.  Now I reckon it is either the Western Dog Violet (Viola adunca) or the very similar Alaska Violet (Viola langsdorfii) – both common on Vancouver Island.

I consider it a special bonus that these lawn jewels are native to the Pacific Northwest (and beyond) — because for local wildlife, especially spring pollinators, this is comfort food.

Wild violets have been an addition to human diets as well – long before they became trendy as colour in salads.  I can’t say I’ve gathered any for supper, but thinking of our lawn as an extension of the veggie garden is kind of cool.

-30-

P.S. Here are some other meadow faves:

• • Meadow Blooms 1 – Crocus
    
  • Meadow Blooms 1.2 – Summit Park Crocus
  • Meadow Blooms 2 – Chionodoxa
  • Meadow Blooms 3 – English daisy
  • Meadow Blooms 4 – Fawn Lily
  • Meadow Blooms 5 – Camas
  • Meadow Blooms 6 – Snowdrops
  • Meadow Blooms 8 – January Meadow
  • Meadow Blooms 9 – Daffodil Meadow
  • Meadow Blooms 10 – July Meadow
  • Meadow Blooms 11- Winter Aconite