Australian Native Violets

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Lawn is very difficult to grow in a damp, shady, position. One solution is to do away with the lawn and pave the area. An even better idea is to plant a groundcover such as the Australian native violet (Viola hederacea), which thrives in moist areas and will still give you a lush, green look. Don looked at a very good example of native violet used in place of lawn. It was growing around stepping stones along the shady side passage of a house.

Native violet is a creeping, evergreen perennial from eastern Australia and the Western Pacific Islands. It grows to about 10cm (4″) tall, and spreads widely by means of trailing stolons which root at the nodes. The leaves are kidney shaped and bright green in colour. The purple and white flowers appear mainly in the warmer months, however this plant is rarely without a few flowers. If used instead of lawn native violet requires an occasional trim to stop it invading garden beds.

Further information

Australian native violet is available from nurseries. Expect to pay around $4.30 for 75mm (3″) pots, and $9.50 for 150mm (6″) pots. Plants in small pots from the nursery can be cut up into many sections to get the ‘lawn’ started, or look for it in a friend’s garden and dig up some runners. Native violets are also often sold at fetes and plant stalls.

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