Know and Love the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola
The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is a cold-hardy, robust perennial violet that will bring beauty, color, and charm to partially sunny or partially shady areas of your garden. Plant this little beauty and you’ll soon find out that to know the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is to love it.
“Can’t you just look at a pretty flower and just be satisfied that it’s pretty?”
This is a question I routinely ask myself when I sit down to write gardening articles for The Renaissance Garden Guy. The answer is “Nope,” my dear readers and subscribers. This is because when I write about gardening things, I do it to keep as many of you as possible as interested and informed as possible. As I’ve said right from the very beginning of this lengthening, increasingly strange (but unquestionably enjoyable) trip, I want to grant each of you gardening knowledge. I wish for you to benefit from this knowledge without the need for acquiring it through the commission of hundreds upon hundreds of the dumbest, most expensive mistakes a bipedal, shovel-wielding primate could ever possibly make. Trust me, I’ve been that bipedal primate shovel-slinger and it ain’t no fun. On the plus side, however, this role has indeed gained me a certain level of knowledge. This knowledge, my dear readers and subscribers, I will, as always, pass on to you.
So, let me pass on what I know about the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola, beyond the fact that it’s a pretty flower. It’s going to shake out like this: First, you’ll get some nomenclature and taxonomy. If you want to grow these things, you should really know what they actually are (if for no other reason, to show all your gardening pals how smart you are). Second, I’ll point out a few key differences between this plant and some other popular members of the Viola genus that gardeners like to grow. Third, you’ll get my notes from the field (a staple among all of my individual plant articles) and, along with them, all of my planting, care, and feeding suggestions. Fourth, you’ll get pics of my little colony of Celestial™ Northern Lights Violas. Fifth, I’m going to recommend a product or two. And finally, you’ll get my bibliography/”For Further Reading” list. Here you go…
The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola: Violet, Pansy, or Viola?
Let’s start with the name of the plant of the hour: The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola. The “TM” part comes from the fact that this patented series’ name – Celestial™ – is protected by a U.S. trademark owned by PlantHaven International, Inc., the plant’s breeder.¹⁻³ For the sake of expediency and convenience, I’ll probably be periodically referring to the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola as the CNLV. Just remember, every time you see this abbreviation, that the name of the plant’s series is protected by U.S. trademark laws, and the registered protection status of the plant itself is identified by patent number PP 24,591.⁴
The CNLV goes by a couple of different – but ultimately indicating the same plant – botanical names. The breeder classifies the plant, for the purposes of its patent, as Viola x hybrida = ‘SMEV4’.¹ But it can also be correctly classified as a hybrid, or cross, of Viola cornuta, aka the horned violet.⁵⁻¹⁰ I’ve seen this plant alternately referenced using either of these botanical names. Personally, if I had to pick which name is more appropriate, I’d settle on Viola x hybrida = ‘SMEV4’. The actual Viola cornuta (not a hybrid or cross, but the species itself) is a wild violet native to the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain, and is actually the parent species of the CNLV.⁵ It differs fairly clearly in general appearance from the cultivated, ornamental CNLV.⁵ So when referencing in writing the CNLV with the botanical name Viola cornuta, I think it’s extremely important to notate that it’s actually a hybrid or cross of this species.* If in doubt, I’d use the breeder’s taxonomical nomenclature and call it Viola x hybrida = ‘SMEV4’ when writing or talking about it. (Again, this is critically important when you want to come off sounding really smart in front of all your buddies at the garden club Christmas party.)
*Note: Although I can’t trace the exact lineage through the U.S. patent office, it’s probable that the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is actually a cultivar of Viola x williamsii, which is considered the ornamental perennial garden version of the wild perennial Viola cornuta and is a hybrid/cross of Viola cornuta and Viola x wittrockiana (the garden pansy you’ll read about momentarily).¹¹⁻¹² Again, I’d play it safe and refer to the CLNV’s botanical name, as listed by its breeder, as Viola x Hybrida = ‘SMEV4’.
Violet, Viola, Pansy: What’s in a Name?
Violet. Violet is the common name for the plant family Violaceae.¹³ This family contains approximately 1,000 different species across 25 different genera. As you’ll read below, violas are violets, and pansies are violas. So violas and pansies are violets. Keep reading. It get’s easier.
Violas. Viola is the largest genus of plants in the violet family, Violaceae. The genus Viola contains over 680 different species, plus countless numbers of hybrids and crosses.¹³ Colloquially, when gardeners reference “Violas,” they’re typically talking about the perennial species of the genus. Two of the most common of these are the CNLV’s parent species, Viola cornuta, which is a true perennial (individual plants are relatively long-lived – many of those that grow in my hardiness zone 5B/6A garden are at least four or five years old), and Viola tricolor (they’re commonly called Johnny Jump-ups, Heartsease, and more), which are short-lived perennials, or biennials, that can still persist in a garden indefinitely due to their prolific self-sowing.¹⁴⁻¹⁵ In fact, their name “Johnny Jump-up” comes from the fact that these plants tend to “jump up” in unexpected spots by virtue of the expansive dispersal of their plentiful seeds.
Pansies. Pansies, or Garden Pansies, also belong to the Viola genus and are botanically named Viola x wittrockiana.¹⁶ These plants were developed as a result of the hybridization of a number Viola species, including the above mentioned Viola tricolor, and are almost always grown and bred as annuals.
The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola Nuts and Bolts
The Basics
Plant family – Violaceae (includes such other genera as Noisettia and Pombalia, etc.). Height – 6″-8″. Spread – 12″-20″. Light – partial shade to full sun. Bloom color – the 5-petaled blooms are multicolored with shades of purple, yellow, and orange. Bloom size – 1-1/4″- 1-3/4″+. Bloom time – very early spring through fall in zone 5B/6A. Foliage – perennial, evergreen/semi-evergreen, caulescent (evident, above-ground stems), with deep green, ovate leaves. Root system – fibrous root system. Soil – slightly acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline. Hardiness – zones 5-9. Growth rate – medium to fast growth rate. Individual plants have a clumping, mounding, trailing growth habit, and they sprawl outward via creeping, ascending stems. Pollinators – bees, moths, and butterflies. Toxicity – non-toxic. Pest resistance – excellent insect, deer and rodent resistance, but can occasionally be susceptible to microbial and fungal diseases like powdery mildew and leaf spot⁸⁻⁹ (although mine have been perfectly healthy since they were bedded years ago). I have seen the occasional slug take a few bites out of a Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola or two, but my garden’s extensive frog and toad populations help mitigate plant damage from slug assaults.
Notes from the Field
I can tell you unequivocally that the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is one of the most enchanting perennials I grow, and truly is among my very favorites in my garden. I love this plant’s precocious blooming habits (to see some shots of mine blooming in late winter, please visit The RGG “Precocious Bloomers” image gallery) and its quiet and unassuming, yet striking, transcendent beauty. It grows fairly low to the ground and entrances visitors to my garden with its visual siren song as its blooms dazzle from amidst the rich, green mounds of foliage. With these little beauties growing in my garden, the aurora borealis really does shimmer just outside my French doors.
Precocious and profuse blooming. In my hardiness zone of 5B/6A, my Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola colony usually starts blooming in late winter, and will continue blooming profusely until the weather gets hot and the plants take a break for a month or two. But as soon as temperatures begin to dip in late summer and early fall, they’ll again start to bloom assertively and will keep doing it right up until the first frost.
Evergreen/semi-evergreen foliage in hardiness zone 5B/6A. In my part of the Midwest, CNLVs will die back to a clump of evergreen basal foliage in winter. In milder zones, the plants remain entirely evergreen year round.
Hermaphroditic and self-sowing. I can tell you a few things I know for sure about this plant’s seeding habits and its propagation process, and I can tell you something I definitely don’t know. The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is a hermaphroditic plant – each flower contains both male and female reproductive organs. I know this because I’ve observed my CNLVs seeding and self-sowing every year. The seeds are produced when a pollinator deposits pollen from the flower’s stamen onto/into its pistil. Once my CNLVs have finished a particular period of flowering, their seed capsules open to release the seeds. I also know that, commercially, these plants are vegetatively propagated by using unrooted stem tip cuttings. (Remember, these plants are protected by U.S. patent laws and their unlicensed propagation is prohibited.) What I don’t know is how viable the seeds of my own CNLVs actually are because, as far as I can tell, there have never been any CNLV seedlings growing in my garden despite the presence of dispersing seeds. I’ve got a colony of somewhere between five and ten (it’s hard to tell exactly where one plant ends and another begins due to their clumping, creeping growth habit) Celestial™ Northern Lights Violas growing in my garden, but I’m pretty sure they’re the ones that have been here from the beginning.
Hardy as hell. Temperatures in my 5B/6A garden can range from triple digits all the way down to less than -10° Fahrenheit. My Celestial™ Northern Lights Violas have handled these extremes for several years in a row now. As you’ll read below, judicious mulching can give your CNLVs a leg up in dealing with extreme light and temperature exposure.
Suggestions for Planting the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola
Plant them as soon as you get them. You’ll probably get your potted CNLVs fairly early in the planting season (a lot of nurseries – both bricks and mortar and online – start selling these plants in late winter in the Midwest), and potted, I’m pretty sure, is the only way you’re gonna get them. I’ve never seen this plant offered for sale in seed packet form. If you get them in late winter/early spring, dig a hole (assuming the ground is workable) and plant them. If it’s super cold, you can add a relatively thick layer of mulch over the soil around – but not smothering – the base of the plant.
Light and temperature conditions. These plants prefer partial shade through partial sun conditions. If you’ve got such a spot, that’s where to plant them. The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is a rugged plant. It can handle some fairly serious temperature and light exposure extremes. It’d be smart, however, to help it out as much as possible by doing some practical mulching. If the only spot you’ve got for your CNLVs is located in a full sun location, add a slightly thick layer of mulch around the plant to help keep its roots cool and to help its soil retain moisture while the sun beats down on it. Even though they can take it, CNLVs don’t like to bake in the hot sun. You’ll see diminished blooming and stunting and shriveling of some of the outermost foliage in these conditions. These plants generally prefer cooler conditions and really come into their own during the spring before the hot weather of summer kicks in, and in the fall once cooler temperatures return. As mentioned above, the addition of extra mulch in extremely cold weather is helpful, as well. Most of my CNLVs grow in partial sun conditions, but a couple of them do get hit with 6+ hours of full sun. In the latter case, judicious mulching helps them get through the hottest and brightest months of the summer. Partial shade works beautifully for them, too. And I’ve seen a number of these plants growing in full shade conditions in other gardens. But in my experience, the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola is happiest in partial sun/partial shade conditions.
Soil. My CNLVs grow beautifully in fertile, well-drained soil. Evidently, soil pH isn’t super critical because some of mine grow in dirt that’s slightly acidic (pH about 6.0 – 6.8) and others grow in spots where my meter reads 7.0 or even a hair higher. My guess is that if you stick your CNLVs in dirt that’s between 6.0 and 7.3 on the pH scale, you and your plants will be happy. The critical point here (as it is in the case of so many of the other inhabitants of my garden) is that the soil is well-drained. As I’ve written time after time here in The RGG, ornamental perennial plants (with a very few exceptions), can’t sit and stew in soggy, soupy, poorly-drained muck. Their roots and crowns will rot just as sure as you’re sitting here reading this.
Fertilizing. My Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola colony does appreciate relatively ample, regular feedings with a high quality organic fertilizer that’s well-balanced in terms of nutrient ratios, but with a slightly higher percentage of nitrogen (N-P-K of 5-3-3). Regular readers know what I use, and new readers will read about it in the product recs below. Not only does this fertilizer deliver critical nutrients in the correct ratios, it also boasts massive levels beneficial microbes. My violas eat this stuff up. Literally.
Water. No doubt about it, the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola needs moisture. These plants lack a long taproot and instead have a more shallow fibrous root system. They therefore don’t have the ability to obtain moisture from deeper, wetter levels of the soil. If your soil drains well, as mine does, you’ll want to water your CNLVs more frequently than you would if they were growing in slow-draining soil. Of course, in the brightest and hottest months of summer, watering them more frequently is imperative. Again, the addition of an inch or two of mulch to the surface of your violas’ soil will help the plants retain critical moisture and will keep their roots cool in hot weather.
Pruning and/or Deadheading
In early summer, when the weather starts to get really hot here in zone 5B/6A, my own CNLVs start to get a bit straggly looking and they pretty much quit producing blooms. At this time, I’ll cut each plant’s stems back to its basal foliage. This encourages new growth over the course of the summer, and it sets the stage for another decent flush of blooms in late summer through fall, right up until the first frost. In late fall or early winter, I’ll prune back any dead stems and/or leaves, and allow the green clump of basal foliage to remain.
Companion Planting for the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola
This is a really important topic. Not only is selecting solicitous and equitable neighbors for your Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola vital to the aesthetics of its particular section of your garden, it can also be critical to the plant’s survival. Let me explain. These plants appreciate some shade and protection from direct sunlight, so a nearby taller plant offering these commodities in reasonable amounts is a good neighbor for the CNLV. A couple of my CNLVs grow near a dwarf butterfly bush (Buddleia x) which offers them modest shade and protection from direct sunlight without smothering them. A large nearby plant, however, that grows densely and encroaches into the space of a Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola and covers and overwhelms it will ultimately kill it. This was the case in my garden when my massive, densely stemmed and leafed yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea) swarmed over a nearby CNLV and smothered it. If the CNLV is blanketed and smothered by another nearby plant in such a way, it will be deprived of sunlight and energy (diminished photosynthesis), and, maybe even more importantly, air circulation. An unrestricted, unimpeded gaseous and moisture exchange between the atmosphere and the leaves of the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola (for any plant, really) is critical for the plant’s processes of respiration and transpiration. Don’t let bigger, more densely structured plants crowd out your CNLVs – they can easily be smothered to death.
I’ve already mentioned that my dwarf butterfly bush is a great companion for CNLVs growing in a sunny location. Additionally, my Missouri evening primroses (Oenothera macrocarpa macrocarpa), plus a short variety of Echinacea, make great companions for my CNLVs in this sunny spot in my garden. In a more shady section of their planting bed, a couple of my CNLVs grow near an evergreen rhododendron, which provides the violas with shade yet still allows them ample sunlight and air and circulation. Additionally, I’ve seen astilbe and shorter varieties of bleeding hearts, specifically, the fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) growing beautifully with the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola in a fellow gardener’s shade garden.
Product Recs: Keep Your Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola Looking Sharp and Feeling Fine
I’m recommending two excellent products today. One is the organic fertilizer I referenced earlier (and which a huge number of my garden’s perennials are fed), and the other is an amazing pruning tool from my favorite gardening implement manufacturer.
Espoma Organic Plant-tone. I am a huge fan of Espoma’s line of organic fertilizers. Plant-tone is the one I use for the majority of the plants in my garden. It’s got an N-P-K ratio of 5-3-3 and is a great all-purpose organic fertilizer. It works perfectly for an incredibly wide variety of ornamental plants. It’s the ideal food for the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola. Again, Espoma Organic Plant-tone is the food that a huge number of my plants get. They love it, and it shows. You can order this product here, directly from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
Fiskars 6” Micro-tip Pruning Snips. This pruner is the absolutely perfect tool for cutting delicate stems and removing nodes from main stems when training or shaping a specific plant. Its razor-sharp micro-tip steel blades are ideally suited for pruning smaller and soft-stemmed plants. I have an older version of the same model and it’s remained just as razor-sharp, precise, and effective as it was on the day I took it out of its package. I’ll never get rid of it. I use mine for pruning and deadheading houseplants, succulents, and for all outdoor garden pruning that requires intricate, delicate, and precise cutting. It’s perfect for cutting the soft stems of the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola. Click the #advertisement link to learn more, or to order it here, directly from Amazon.
Bibliography/For Further Reading
Below is a list of the works I used to assist me in writing this article. As usual, some of the following citations appear in seriously relaxed format, but they still assign credit where it’s due. Further, each of the following citations is included here as a link to the actual work, which again, is per my usual methodology. If you’ve got additional interest in this article’s topic, please feel free to click any of the following links to read more.
- “Viola Celestial™ Northern Lights.” Planthaven International, Inc., p. 1.
- “Breeders.” Planthaven International, Inc., p. 1.
- “Home.” Planthaven International, Inc., p.1.
- “Trademarks and Patents.” Planthaven International, Inc., p. 1.
- “Viola cornuta.” Wikipedia, p. 1.
- “Viola cornuta.” Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, p.1.
- “Viola Celestial™ Northern Lights.” Ball Seed Plant Information,” p. 1.
- “Viola cornuta ‘Halo Violet’ (Horned Violet).” Gardenia, p. 1.
- Paul Pilon. “Perennial Solutions: Viola cornuta Celestial Series.” Greenhouse Product News, p. 1.
- “Viola Celestial™ Northern Lights.” Darwin Perennials Plant Information, p. 1.
- “Viola x williamsii.” Wikipedia, p. 1.
- “Viola x williamsii.” Alpine Garden Society Encyclopaedia, p. 1.
- “Viola (plant).” Wikipedia, p. 1.
- “Viola tricolor.” Wikipedia, p. 1.
- “Viola tricolor.” North Carolina State University Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox,” p. 1.
- “Pansy.” Wikipedia, p. 1.
The Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola and I Bid You a Fond “See You Next Time”
My dear readers and subscribers, I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the Celestial™ Northern Lights Viola. You now understand its naming and taxonomy, you know how these plants grow in my garden, you know how I take care of them, and you’ve got a bunch of pics of all of mine. In fact, you’ve got as much info as I’m capable of administering without really pissing you off and/or putting you to sleep. These are gorgeous little plants whose happy little faces will smile up at you from the hospitable place you’ll provide for them in your garden. And they’ll spread their good cheer for years to come.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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I need to reread this several times to absorb all the information! Such lovely flowers!
Thank you for giving it a read, Lisa, and thank you for commenting. I do agree with you – those little flowers are gorgeous. I think of them as cheerful, and at the same time, a little mysterious. And the plants themselves are such rugged little things. I do highly recommend growing them. Thanks once again, Lisa. I’m very grateful for your interest.
Those Violas are so gorgeons…
Amazing article, very interesting and informative as always 🌸🌸🌸
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Roxxy – thank you so much! It really is a beautiful little plant, with such gorgeous, sunny blooms – I love it and I had to write about it! Thank you again, Roxxy, I really appreciate your interest and your kindness.
There is a lot of great information in this article. Viola flowers are so beautiful, they really put a smile on your face. It is a welcome sight to see them so early in the year.
Thank you for reading the article, Kevin – I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m definitely with you on the Viola’s beauty. It’s a gorgeous little plant and a glorious harbinger of spring. I absolutely adore these little beauties. Thanks again, Kevin!
Very comprehensive article. Explained with wit and charm. Many thanks.
Thank you for reading the article, Rick, and thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you appreciated the info, as well as the delivery. It really is a lovely little plant that deserves a spot in everyone’s garden. Thanks again!