'Silver Gem' violet adds some sparkle to the shade garden in spring, summer and fall, thanks to its eye-catching foliage. Dainty purple flowers are a bonus. This perennial violet makes a nice, tidy ground cover in the woodland garden and a fine companion for shady favorites like Solomon's seal, hostas, ferns, eastern columbine, sedges and ephemeral plants.
Common name: 'Silver Gem' prostrate blue violet, 'Silver Gem' Walter's violet
Botanical name: Viola walteri 'Silver Gem'
Exposure: Part shade or filtered light
Flowers: Small, bright purple flowers emerge from the clump of foliage in the spring and early summer. A repeat bloom can occur in autumn.
Foliage: The leaves are heart-shaped and they have a silvery cast that's more pronounced then normally found on the species. Dark green veins accent the tops of the leaves, while the reverse side is a coppery brown. The foliage can be evergreen in warm winter but this plant tends to be deciduous in the colder reaches of its growing range.
Related: Find more lovely ground covers for shade in "Alternatives to Mulching Around Trees"
Habit: 'Silver Gem' violet is a ground cover that reaches three to five inches tall and ten to fifteen inches wide.
Origin: Viola walteri is a violet species native to moist woods of the eastern Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States. The cultivar 'Silver Gem' was selected from seedlings among a collection in Alabama. It was introduced to the gardening trade in 2010 by Mt. Cuba Center.
How to grow it: Site 'Silver Gem' violet where it will receive filtered, dappled light all day or several hours of morning sun followed by afternoon shade. It prefers soil that drains well and ranges from neutral to alkaline in pH. Provide regular watering while it is getting established. Thereafter it can take some drought. USDA Zones 6–8.
Image credit: Scott Zona/CC BY-NC DEED
