Any flower lover who has seen the birdfoot violet (Viola pedata) adding its touches of rich embroidery to the raw subsoil of highway cuts in the Ozarks is tempted to try it in his garden.
Many have tried it and some have succeeded. Others have failed. It is well worth the effort.
Appealing Viola Family
The delicately fragrant, pansy-like flowers of this aristocrat of the Viola family are varied, but all are appealing.
Three Definite Types
There are three definite types. Viola pedata is the bi-color form. The two upper petals are a deep violet color with a velvety texture.
The color is so dark that it is sometimes described as purple. The three lower petals are blue, lilac, and purple-lilac. The color is quite variable and a bit elusive.
There is also a white form, V. Pedata alba, and a form in which all the petals are light blue or lilac, V. Pedata lineariloba.
The latter is more common in Missouri though the white form has been reported. Some eastern writers describe only the bi-color form, which suggests that it predominates in some areas.
How Colors Vary In The Midwest
The pale blue or lilac form is quite variable in its coloring here in the Midwest. On some plants, the blossoms are of such a delicate blue that we may describe the color as an off-shade of white.
In others, blue is more intense; in some, the color is lilac. Reliable observers tell us that the color between pink and lavender is occasionally found in the Missouri Ozarks.
All the specimens I have seen have the texture and charm of dainty porcelain. All have orange centers that add to their attractiveness.
Viola’s Unique Leaves
The leaves, unlike other violets, are divided somewhat similar to the foliage of the larkspur, only much more refined.
The flowers overtop the leaves so frequently we are conscious only of the delicate beauty of the blossoms themselves and completely overlook the foliage.
In some specimens, the petals are more rounded, giving a pansy-like appearance to the flower.
In others, the petals are elongated, making the blossoms appear more informal. Its resemblance to a pansy has led to the frequently used common name of wild pansy.
However, it is a true violet and not a pansy at all.
BirdFoot Violet Distribution
The birdfoot violet has a wide distribution over the country’s eastern half.
It is reported to grow in areas bounded by a line from Massachusetts to Minnesota south to Louisiana and Florida.
Wildflower publications from Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas list it as mauve.
Three-quarters of a century ago, in a volume titled Popular Flowers, E. S. Rand, Jr. stated,
“We grow it plentifully in the garden, where it comes up year after year and increases. The only care is to transplant it, when in bloom, with a ball of the earth; of hundreds moved in this way, we have never lost a plant.”
Fine Birdsfoot Violets In Ozarks
Fred Fate, nurseryman, and naturalist of Columbia, Missouri, has grown clumps of as fine birdsfoot violets as I have ever seen growing in the Ozarks, where in May, these dainty blue flowers may be counted by the thousands.
Mr. Fate prepared his soil by first taking off the top 3″ or 4″ inches, digging out the next 6” or 8” inches, and finally putting the topsoil at the bottom of the trench and the lower soil on top.
In the process, he added some sand and gravel. Also, he raised the bed level 3″ or 4″ inches above the surrounding soil. His garden has a gentle but distinct slope.
Optimal Soil pH
A soil test of the bed where the birdsfoot violets were growing gave a pH reading of 5.9, considered slightly acidic.
In his excellent book Wild Flower Gardening, Norman Taylor gives pH 6 as the optimum for growing birdsfoot violets.
The soil in the Fate garden has a rather low humus content and is a bit low in potassium though it is rather well supplied with phosphate.
The garden is in full sun. We might reasonably presume that the key factors in Mr. Fate’s success are a satisfactory pH value, good drainage, and ample sun.
Soil Testing
Soil tests from Dent, Madison, Crawford, Maries, and Iron Counties, Missouri, where this violet grows, reveal pH readings from 4.7 to 7.
In the case of both extremes, the plants were not thriving as they were in other sites where conditions were more favorable.
We may expect our best growth within a pH range of 5 to 6 (possibly 6.4). This is even though we occasionally see the statement that the birdfoot violet requires very acid soil.
Good Drainage Is Necessary
Since we find it growing more frequently in gritty soil and on steep slopes than otherwise, we may assume that good drainage is desirable.
We see strong colonies growing in raw subsoil with virtually no organic matter and little or no other vegetation. The fertility of such soil is extremely low. But the plant might respond to fertilizer.
Of numerous colonies observed on a recent trip through the Ozarks, nearly all were growing in full sun; some were on steep banks with south exposure.
Factors To Consider In Wildflower Garden
Others were on steep north slopes in considerable shade. In a wildflower garden, I would rather risk full sun than very much shade.
I would guess that we would produce stronger clumps with finer flowers if we provided a moderately fertile, sandy loam with good drainage and a pH of 5 to 6.4. Probably a moderate application of bone meal would be helpful.
Last spring, I planted half a dozen birdsfoot violets in my garden, which is a rather fertile clay loam with a pH of 6.2.
The plants vary from a single stem to a clump that might produce six or eight flowers.
The bed is raised about 4″ inches above the surrounding soil and is in a site where the drainage is naturally good. By early June, when this was written, they were thriving.
What Is Needed When Growing Birdsfoot Violets
For the person who wants to attempt to grow birdsfoot violets, it is suggested that a soil sample be taken for a test at the state college of agriculture or the county extension office.
If the pH reading is not above 6.4, we may expect that factor to be satisfactory. The next consideration is drainage.
Raising the bed four or five inches above the surrounding soil will be desirable unless the drainage is naturally good.
The addition of sand incorporated into the soil may be helpful. If you want to add some acid peat, it will not harm you.
All this should be thoroughly incorporated into the soil to depths of 8” or 10” inches.
44659 by R. R. Thomasson