Our 'sweet, retiring' violet actually is pretty much a thug in most gardens... we weed out on a regular basis.

Thanks Moongrower, they certainly are disappointing. Guess I'll do what you do.

Did you buy them from Devon Violet Nursery?

Maybe the stems will lengthen as they flower? I hope they aren't the common creeping violet! What a scruffy menace!

The original Viola odorata has a fairly small, inconspicuous flower, but is the most fragrant of the group. The showier ones--but less fragrant--are the named varieties and hybrids. Flowers get even smaller, and shorter stemmed in gray, wet weather. The plant is cunning--it pollinates itself when pollinators are scarce, but doesn't wast energy on showiness then!

MG. No I got them on ebay. Not a reliable source I guess.
Volunteer. They probably are the common creeping variety. They certainly spread quickly from a small clump to one four times as big in the space of 12 months.
Tugbreth. i wouldn't mind inconspicuous flowers if only they were visible. These ones are buried beneath the abundant foliage.
I've seen some sweet little violets growing wild and they have only a few leaves, but the flowers are similar. They are more like what i was hoping to have.
Oh well, I think I'll do as Moongrower does and dig them up.
Thankyou all for your help.

Merlin possibly in the wild they are growing in leaner conditions? If they are in very rich soil then they may produce far more leaves...

Moongrower, I hadn't considered that but it makes sense and I could try to find an area that I don't enrich. I think they need some sun but if i try some under a tree, where the soil is left to nature, they do flower early enough to avoid the shade of the tree canopy and so may be ok.
Also I've just noticed that as they spill over a boundary, they produce babies (bit like a spider plant does) and the foliage is less abundant so that the little flowers are on view. I guess another answer might be to place them at the very edge of a border and let this happen. They do make good ground cover too albeit boring, given the lack of visible flowers.
Surely plants want their blossom to be visible to insects or do they home in by scent alone?
If they are native and provide food for insects at this time of year, I will keep them. At the least I will keep trying for another year.
Thankyou for giving me a new perspective.

The pollinators don't need big visible flowers. Yes have them at the front of the border and remove any that go outside the area you want them in. They be happy under a deciduous tree and they will get the light they need early in the year and then be nicely shaded.

Thanks Moongrower. I've planted some under a tree where I have never even dug over. Yes I think I'll keep the other clumps, for now anyway. They fill some gaps.

I bet they love it under the tree...