How To Grow Wild Violet Plants – How To Care For Wild Violets
They pretty much look after themselves in the garden. To learn more about how to care for wild violets, keep reading. Violet Flowers in the Wild The purple-blue flowers of wild violets (Viola odorata) are accompanied by heart-shaped leaves.
White or yellow blooms can also be found in some varieties. Although wild violets are classified as annuals or biennials in some areas, they often self-seed and reappear each year in unexpected places.
The low-lying flowers, known as cleistogamous flowers, do not open but instead produce and house seeds, allowing the plant to reproduce quickly.
The only disadvantage is that wild violet are predisposed to become invasive, sprouting up almost anywhere if not controlled with some sort of barrier.
Wild violets spread through underground rhizomes as well. In the Garden, Growing Wild Violet Plants Violets are simple to grow and can be used in various ways if they are appropriately cared for.
Wild violets add a lovely touch to trees, water sources, and flower beds. They’re also great for providing instant ground cover in a woodland garden. They can be grown in containers as well.
Both the leaves and the flowers (bloom in late winter and early spring) are nutritious and edible. Violets can be planted at any time during the spring and fall seasons, though early spring is best.
These plants prefer light shade, but they can also thrive in direct sunlight. Wild violets tolerate many soil types but prefer moist, well-draining soil high in organic matter.
Violets in the wild require special attention. However, wild violet flowers require very little care, aside from watering after planting and occasionally watering throughout the growing season.
These hardy tiny plants tend to look after themselves. Cutting the flower stalks back can help alleviate spurting seed problems if desired. Wild violets can be propagated by dividing established plants in the spring or fall, though their ability to self-seed makes this unnecessary.
Seeds can also be collected and sown in a cold frame or indoors in the fall. The foliage of wild violet plants is occasionally affected by spider mites in dry weather, but they are rarely affected by other problems.
Violet flowers are a representation of pure, unadulterated love. The violet plant’s essential oil, derived similarly, is slowly becoming a symbol of long-term mental and physical well-being. The Violaceae family of plants, native to France, Greece, China, and Italy, have long been used to treat respiratory problems, pain relief, and a variety of other ailments.
Violet Essential Oil
Violet essential oil is extracted from the flowers and leaves of the plant. Usually, the process used in extraction is solvent extraction. Solvent extraction consists of placing the respective parts of the plant in a closed vessel. This vessel contains an organic solvent. This solvent then liquefies the plant parts to produce the oil. The solvent and other remaining impurities are removed in due course, leaving behind a residue.
Talking in terms of yield, the violet plant is not a high yield plant in terms of extracting essential oil. The ratio of the actual plant needed and the residue left is 1000:1. Still, quite spectacularly, the violet essential oil has never been in higher demand before. This itself tells a lot about the magnificent properties and their positive effects on the human body.
Benefits of Violet Essential Oil –
- Offers Respiratory Relief
Violet essential oil is rich in decongestant and expectorant agents. These agents help to get rid of excess mucus and phlegm that is accumulated in your respiratory and nasal tracts by lessening the viscosity of the mucus. This then results in a congestion-free chest facilitating a much freer, unobstructed airflow through your respiratory tracts.
Due to this, for ages, violet oil has been used in alleviating common respiratory problems such as the common cold, cough, flu, bronchitis, and various kinds of sinuses. The oil even provides pain relief associated with these positively life-altering problems.
- Offers Pain Relief
Violet essential oil contains a high number of anti-inflammatory agents. Anti-inflammation is critical in pain relief; this makes violet oil an effective remedy against various forms of pain arising from stiff and sore joints and painful muscle aches, such as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.
Pain relief happens through an improvement in blood circulation in the concerned area. Violet oil can help stimulate blood circulation to the muscles, which helps to ease the pain arising from the improper circulation of blood to these vital regions.
Additionally, violet oil can even be used to treat pain arising from headaches (migraine) as well as curb spells of dizziness. Thus, it can be safely said that this oil contains multiple pain-relieving properties.
- Promotes Skincare
Violet essential oil is beneficial in treating many skin conditions due to its mild and gentle nature, making it a great agent to soothe troubled skin. It can be an effective natural treatment for various skin conditions such as eczema and acne. Its moisturizing properties make it highly effective on dry skin.
Its anti-inflammatory properties can heal any red, irritated, or inflamed skin brought about by acne or any other skin problem. Its antiseptic and antimicrobial properties also help cleanse our skin and remove bacteria from lingering on our skin. Thus, this oil helps prevent such skin conditions from worsening and spreading to other parts of the face.
- Good for Mental Health
Mild headaches or severe migraines are part of the symptoms of many diseases, but one condition which we overlook in this list of which headaches are primary indicators is excess stress. Stress, anxiety, depression, and excessive mood swings are different mental health problems but are somewhat connected.
And headaches can be a symptom of any of these. Here Violet essential oil can be beneficial, acting as an effective agent to alleviate stress, exhaustion, fatigue, dizziness, and mood swings.
Like some other essential oils, violet oil also has a calming effect on the mind that helps to induce peace and relaxation, ultimately maintaining balanced mental health.
- An Effective Aphrodisiac
Yes, it is true. Violet oil can be useful against many sexual problems, such as lowered libido and a low sex drive. It is instrumental where stress is the leading cause of sexual issues. This is because violet oil induces relaxation and balances mental health, which emotionally uplifts one’s spirits, enhancing one’s libido.
All you have to do is set the scene right. Place some violet essential oil with a blend of other essential oils in your diffuser, and that is it. Sit back and get ready to arouse the sexual and romantic feelings in you and your partner.
- Helps Against Problems Associated with Sleep
Sleep deficiency is the number one cause of many mental health issues and other physical issues as well such as obesity and overall malfunctioning of essential organs. This is why doctors and teachers stress having a good night’s sleep.
Sleep is imperative to ensure the smooth functioning of our various bodily systems. Through ample rest, we can effectively function and perform, physically and mentally, in our daily tasks.
Violet essential oil can help anyone achieve the right kind of sleep owing to its calming and relaxant properties. The oil’s application helps to relieve tension and anxiety. This makes violet essential oil a natural remedy for insomnia and other chronic sleep-associated disorders.
How Do You Use Violet Essential Oil?
- For pain relief in sore joints and muscles, add a few drops of the oil to your bathing water and soak in it for some time.
- For respiratory relief, add a few drops of violet essential oil to your vaporizer or diffuser and put it next to your pillow or the side of your bed. Another way to inhale the essential oil is by adding a few drops into a bowl of boiling water and inhaling the aromatic steam evaporating out.
- You can dilute the oil with a preferred carrier oil (coconut, almond, jojoba) in a 1:1 ratio and apply it to the affected areas for skincare. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 drops of violet oil into your daily skincare products as well.
- To enhance libido, you can add two drops of violet oil, two drops of violet oil, two drops of jasmine oil, and a drop of rose oil into your diffuser and put it beside your bedside table for an exciting evening.
