Heartsease seeds
Viola tricolor
Heartsease is an easily grown herb which can be either sown in March under cover,
or directly where you would like it to flower from mid-April onwards.
It is pretty grown as an edging, in containers all year round, and it combines well with other herbs and also with spring flowering bulbs.
It also looks great just self seeded in attractive clumps in your beds and borders.
The plants will flower right though until October, especially if dead headed regularly, or even better used as an edible garnish.
This has to be one of our favourite flowers, the delicate petals have the familiar heartshaped 'pansy' face.
Fantastic on top of a salad and totally edible too.
Great for decorating cakes and deserts.
Really pretty floating on a cool summer drink.
Herbalists over the centuries have used wild pansies as important ingredients to help epilepsy, skin complaints and respiratory problems.