Wild violets taking over!

Hi everyone -

I'm a relatively new gardener living in Toronto - which, I'm told, is in a Carolinian climate. I just love that.

Anyway, when we moved in we dug up all the grass in the back yard and have been planting trees and various and sundry beautiful things. Somehow, though, we've ended up with lots and lots of wild (purple) violet. At first, I was just enjoying them - and still do - but they're really taking over and I'm concerned about my other plants. I don't want them to choke out all my herbs, berries, and flowers, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I saw an older 2008 post that suggested spraying vinegar on them but they're almost all around other things so this would be hard to do. Digging them up is all I can imagine at this point but it's going to take a long time (!) and I don't know how much that will help.

Any feedback or suggestions would be helpful.

I suppose an alternative is to deadhead them before they can re-seed, but....ack! That's a lot of work! Maybe you could just reclaim a small area at a time, keeping up with it once it's cleared. Not much else to do, I think. But at least they're pretty!

I had a similar problem with violets and I spent mant hours digging them up. It's pretty effective if you can get the entire root. Of course more will come but if you get them when they're small they are not so bad to pull out. If you have your area well mulched, of course, the new ones will be all the more easy to pull.

I have been fighting wild violets in the yard since I moved to this house 10 years ago. The other day, I was weeding with my 8 year old nephew and pointed out the "violet weeds that grow everywhere" that aren't the same as his mom's polite garden violets that stay put. He looked up at me and asked "If they grow so well why take them out. They're pretty." So we had a lemonade together instead of yanking out "pretty weeds"...

I'm sure I'll remember why I want them gone- after he goes home ;)

~Sharon

The violets are, indeed, pretty, though I still pull them up. It really does get easier once you get the established plants out. Getting the entire root is essential. Sharon, I think you made the right choice to go with the flow and enjoy your nephew. The violets can wait.

Well supposedly they make nice perfume also.Oh well, I have them here, I have had them everywhere I have ever been.I think I will go with the Nephew, there pretty, If I pull a few weeding okay, otherwise the little perfumes can grow anywhere they want to ,as they will anyway,lol.