An early blooming sweet violet under a quince tree in Bonnefont garden. Although the rich, blue-purple flowers are showy and fragrant, they are sterile. Violets produce an abundance of nectar, but they bloom well before bee season in cooler climates. The plants propagate themselves by sending out runners, and set seed only in the fall, when much smaller, colorless, inconspicuous flowers are borne without petals. These self-pollinated flowers do not open, and are scentless.