Viola jooi – Transylvanian Violet. Hill Farm, Macalister, B.C., April 2017. Image: HFN
Perennial. Zone 4. Violaceae. Transylvanian region of Romania.
This agreeable little alpine violet blooms from late April well into late spring.
Its appearance is nothing out of the ordinary, for it resembles our own native Viola adunca to a great degree, but jooi has the one thing that adunca and so many other species lack – it is wonderfully scented. Not as free of its fragrance as the classic Viola odorata, and you won’t catch it on the air, but the reward for kneeling down and getting close is a whiff of pure violet perfume.
May 2017. Viola jooi detail. Image: HFN
Dense little clumps of glossy, elongated, heart-shaped leaves reach 3 inches tall and perhaps twice that in spread. The pale reddish-purple violets are large relative to the size of the plants, and bloom abundantly from late April/early May until July.
Native to only a few alpine areas in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, this absolutely charming wee plant happily settles into the garden, where it will generously self sow if conditions are to its liking.
Sun to part shade; average conditions. For border front, woodland garden, or rockery.
Viola jooi – very compact in every stage of growth and flowering. Astonishing sweet fragrance when one gets close enough. Macalister, B.C., May 2017. Image: HFN
Viola jooi seedlings bloom in earliest spring. Macalister, B.C., April 2016. Image: HFN
As with many of the spring-blooming violets, rebloom may occur throughout the growing season. Here, a late Viola jooi blossom appears alongside a ripening seed pod. Hill Farm, Macalister, B.C., October 2015. Image: HFN
