Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Common Dog Violet bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Common Dog Violet, Wood Violet, Dog Violet (Viola riviniana).

More about common dog violet

About Common Dog Violet

Viola riviniana · also called Common Dog Violet, Wood Violet · flowering

Viola riviniana is one of Britain's most widespread native wildflowers, colonising woodland rides, hedgerows, grassland verges, and shaded rocky ground across the UK and most of Europe. It is a semi-evergreen perennial bearing pale blue-violet flowers with a distinctive whitish-cream spur in spring. The most important care fact is that it self-seeds freely and spreads via rhizomes, so give it space in naturalistic or wildflower planting schemes. Viola riviniana is non-toxic to pets; the Viola genus appears on the ASPCA non-toxic plant list.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Self-seeding invasiveness: Can become weedy in borders via prolific cleistogamous seed production; deadhead after spring flowering to limit spread, or allow to naturalise in a wildflower setting where this trait is an asset.

The reasons common dog violet isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming common dog violet traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding common dog violet a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get common dog violet to flower

Maximise sun. Give common dog violet the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for common dog violet and get the feeding right with the common dog violet fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Common Dog Violet flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full common dog violet care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Common Dog Violet blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my common dog violet flower?

Common Dog Violet blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make common dog violet bloom?

Give common dog violet the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does common dog violet normally bloom?