Twinflower vs Early Blue Violet - TreeTime.ca

Twinflower vs Early Blue Violet

Linnaea borealis

Viola adunca

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Twinflower
Early Blue Violet

Twinflower is a native, trailing evergreen ground cover known for its delicate flowers that grow in nodding pairs. These pale pink blooms are described as being sweetly fragrant, attracting native bees and other pollinators.
Growing in cool, moist, acidic soils, the trailing stems form roots as they spread and start to form mats across the forest floor. Due to its woody stem, it is technically classified as a shrub and often referred to as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. This species is well-suited for naturalization, restoration, and conservation projects.
Twinflower (Linneae borealis) was named in honour of Carl Linnaeus, who adopted it as his personal emblem.

Early Blue Violet is a low-growing native perennial wildflower valued for its striking early-spring blooms. The flowers range in color from vibrant blue to deep violet, often marked with pale highlights and fine white hairs. They provide an important early nectar source for pollinators and serve as a host plant for several fritillary butterfly species.

It spreads by both seed and rhizomes, gradually forming small colonies. Its dark green, heart-shaped leaves add ornamental appeal, and the plant shows some resistance to deer browsing. Early Blue Violet is well-suited to naturalization projects and pollinator-friendly gardens, and has also been used in coastal butterfly habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest.

Twinflower Quick Facts

Early Blue Violet Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: creeping or trailing, ground cover
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Spreading: seeds - medium, rhizomes - medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: rhizomes, fruit, seed poisonous to humans
Fall colour: reddish tinge
Flowers: Pink, bell-shaped, fragrant pairs
Flowers: purple to blue-violet
Bloom time: summer
Bloom time: mid spring to early summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, YT, NT
Other Names: northern twinflower, pink bells
Other Names: dog violet, hookedspur violet, sand violet, western blue violet