After a wall was built behind my house, I couldn't decide what to plant in a 5-foot wide, shady area in front of it.  I had tons of violets growing wild in my lawn, and some of them apparently had spread their seeds to the area in question.  They looked quite at home there.  I decided to collect as many seeds as I could to plant in front of the wall.  Soon enough, I had lots of violets growing.  I had to dig up some of the violets that were growing in the lawn to fill in the bare spots.  I now have about 200 square feet of violets.  My violets start flowering in April, and bloom for about three weeks.  A violet with white flowers may appear about once every three years.

I have two different species, but haven't identified either one of them.  One species grows about 9" high, and has broad, dark-green leaves.  It has large, green seed pods growing from horizontal stems underneath the plant.  The seeds are dark-purple in color.  The other species grows about 6" high, and has lighter, narrower leaves.  Its gray seed pods are held on upright stems, and produces tan seeds.

Wild violets only look good in the spring.  Most of the foliage dies back in the summer, only to return in the fall.  Regular watering can keep them looking decent in the summer, but it usually isn't worth the effort.  Groundhogs love violets, and I have had to replant patches of them from time to time.