Nature is full of secrets and wonders that never cease to inspire admiration in the minds of human beings. Among them, we can count flowers as one of those pure visual and olfactory pleasures. They can express whatever your heart may hide, including feelings of love and consideration, and mostly embellish your beautiful garden. Viola flowers are perfect to express a number of feelings including deep love, and you can choose them to fill your garden with beautiful colors and a sense of emotion.
In Greek mythology, Jupiter loved the nymph Io, but his jealous wife, Juno, did not like his love affair. Therefore, she took revenge by changing her rival into a white heifer. Thus metamorphosed, Io wandered sadly when she saw something emerging from the ground. It was small flowers, which turned their corollas towards her. She recognized in them the thoughts of her friends who had come to console her. Another mythical story makes the viola a funeral flower from Antiquity because Proserpine was picking it when she was sent to Hell.
In this the article, the following points are going to be discussed:
- What are the amazing uses of viola flowers?
- What are the characteristics of viola flowers?
- What is the meaning of viola Flowers?
- How to plant viola flowers
What are the Amazing Uses of Viola Flowers?
The viola is a flower with different uses. First, in confectionery, the fresh flowers are crystallized in sugar to make violet sweets; they are a specialty of Toulouse. Moreover, the violet leaves have a slight vegetable flavor and can be added to fruit salads, poultry stuffing, and meat pies. The flowers can also be decor for pastries, fresh or candied with sugar, while dry or fresh flowers can be used in infusion, grog, or syrup.
In perfumery, the viola flower has a captivating and suave scent to which some have lent an aphrodisiac power.
Finally, this amazing flower can treat headaches, insomnia, and melancholy. Its seeds and flowers were used in the composition of remedies in the 18th century. Viola tricolor, a variation, has medicinal properties for treating coughs and respiratory ailments, it is depurative and takes care of small skin concerns (eczema, acne, impetigo …) and regulates oily hair.
What are the Characteristics of Viola Flowers?
Viola flowers are a beautiful and classic addition to our gardens. They are part of the botanical family Viola, which includes 500 species. Violas are herbaceous plants of various shapes: the leaves have kidney-shaped and sometimes very indented. The flowers are sometimes located in the axils of the leaves, and sometimes at the end of the stems.
These flowers need neutral or calcareous soil, which is also well drained. They can reach 15 cm high. They are present on all continents, and they can reproduce in different ways; including via natural pollination of their flowers or by producing seed capsules by self-pollination. Violas display their flowers in spring for most species and in autumn if the climatic conditions are suitable, which means alternating cold nights and warm sunny days.
What is the Meaning of Viola Flowers?
In the language of flowers, Viola is a symbol of innocence, modesty, and decency by the allusion of its little corolla, which seems to hesitate to leave its casket of leaves. Blue, its main color, shows fidelity. The white of the flower evokes happiness and expresses a first love or an emerging love. A yellow viola can carry with poetry the message of a loving and growing desire.
If the viola is purple, it can express nostalgia for passing love and is generally offered to a person you have loved for several years. Black violas evoke the sadness and the sorrow of hopeless love. Orange is the expression of intense carnal amorous desire, and a pink viola can express loyalty in love. Lastly, the red viola expresses your love to the loved one. Putting viola flowers in a bouquet, surrounded by leaves, symbolizes secret love.
How to Plant Viola Flowers
Violas are flowers that prefer the sun or partial shade. They grow on ordinary soil, preferably that which is light and moist. The flowering of violas is ephemeral, but it is possible to multiply them regularly. You should plant them during the fall, but if you miss it, a catch-up session is possible during the spring. The February seedlings bloom from spring to summer and the June and August seedlings offer flowers from November, and throughout the winter.
To take care of your viola, remember that they do not like excess water, but appreciate fresh soil. Therefore, if the temperatures are mild and the soil tends to dry out too much, water them lightly. You can progressively remove the faded flowers as you go, too. This way you can prolong the flowering. Now you can enjoy your garden for even longer each season.
Flowers are a beautiful gift from Mother Nature. They are this amazing mixture of sweetness, affection, and love so intense and tender at the same time. With their very wide range of meanings, colors, and scents, they are the best tool to bring bright colors and beauty into your life and your environment.
Let your viola flowers charm the eyes and the hearts of your beloved one, and express your deep feelings of love, modesty, and innocence. This flower does not ask for much care to grow, but they can bring beauty, a variety of colors, and a very light, yet appreciable scent to your house, that surely can undeniably charm your visitors.
Moreover, this flower has so many uses that it would be a big waste to not plant it. Who knows, maybe one day you may enjoy making sweet syrup or ice cream of it? You can put sweetness, beautiful colors, sweet scents, and express your amazing feelings of innocence, love, and modesty to your beloved family and friend with the viola flower.