Pictured is the very back of our yard before it turns into woods. The rest of the yard is grass with some patches of dandelions and clover and we aren’t planning to completely replace it so wondering if there’s a way to encourage the violets to grow
by Magic-Vagina
7 Comments
Violet seeds are spread by ants. The ants take the seeds, eat the protein rich exterior, and leave the seeds in their trash pile underground. The seeds sprout, and you have a lot of violets.
Having dead leaves and grass over the lawn allows ant trails under the leaves, and allows the ants to gather and distribute seeds. I don’t know which ants are best. Digging a hole and filling it with sand will encourage ants to build a nest.
I love this question! It’s so heretical! I’ve actually popped the big ones out and divided the clumps and spread them.
Maybe add some Yellow Rattle to parasitize the grass. And a native carex or two?
Mowing your lawn areas at 3.5 inches does the trick. I’ve done that for the past two years and the violets have spread quite a bit. They spread fastest in areas with clay-loam moist soil.
Violets do as they please. Pull them wherever you don’t want them, they’ll be back.
Pull out the goddamn crab grass. It’s my mortal enemy and needs to be smoted
Pull things you don’t want, like crab grass, shake off the excess soil and place leaves or compost (for moisture retention and habitat for the ants that pollinate violets) over the exposed soil.
I’ve noticed in my garden they grow better in moister areas and partial shade, definitely love shade