PlantFiles: Ivy Leaved Violet, Australian Violet, Trailing Violet, Tasmanian Trailing Violet
Viola banksii

This plant is a fantastic plant to cover the dirt in a large brugmansia pot, or other patio type tree. It looks especially nice when it begins to cascade over the edge of the pot.

Yes this plant can be very invasive, but at the same time, it always looks great. The flowers are nice, and the snails really don't touch it. I have found that if it's watered a lot, it seems to spread and get more bushy. With little water it seems to just not do anything. It has grown in between some of my plants, but it hasn't harmed them.

I have had this in the ground as a ground cover for 3 years. The cold winters here seem to hurt it a little, but it comes right back in spring. It's a good choice for a shade garden or path that needs that extra texture and color. If you water it everyday, it will cover an entire area really quickly, but I still love it.

I love this plant! I have had it for about three years, and it spreads really fast. I love it. It tends to like water, so I usually water it once a day. I think that's why it spreads sooo much. It is very pretty when in bloom. I never fertilize it, and yet it still does great. I really like it a lot, and I know it will spread over my whole garden soon!

Beautiful plant and flower, but it is growing crazy on me! It really works itself in and out of other plants. I'm going to have to wait until winter when other plants die back so I can concentrate on doing a major pull up of this one. Mine grows in part shade near a water faucet, and I think that has a lot to do with its vigor.
Much better suited for container growing, IMO

edited to change rating to NEUTRAL. It is easy to remove and flowers are pretty.

This plant is great for dryish (not dry) to moist areas of the garden. It can become invasive but is easily removed. The flowers of this plant may have a slight fragrance. Good in a partly-shaded position. pokerboy.

The sweet purple and white flowers make lovely little garnishes on salads, pastas, cheese boards and fruit salads etc. I have coated them with beaten egg whites and then dipped into fine sugar as a cake decoration that is edible.

This violet has proven to be a good ground cover for a dryish, mostly shaded part of my garden. I often plant annuals like snapdragons toward the back of the mass to give some cool season color, but the violet seems to bloom almost constantly for me. The blooms are never a large mass, just subtle perks; the foliage is a nice evergreen touch.

Syn Erpetion hederaceum, E. reniforme, V. reniforme

Vigorous and rapid spreader (via stolons) from Australia and a great ground cover in warm climates. Dark green, 1½ inch kidney or ovate shaped leaves which can be entire (smooth edged) to coarsely toothed, often has scalloped edges.

Bears 1 inch flattened flowers with a very short spur. Can be white, cream, pale to dark violet or white with royal purple blotches. Sometimes scented. Doesn't like winter wet and not fully hardy. Dig up a small portion of it to overwinter in a partially shaded alpine/green house. It grows so rapidly, you don't need too much of it at the start of the year, so give it space.