General Description/History

The violet family has about 400 species, and contains many popular garden plants, such as the multitude of pansies and violets used as borders or potted colour. The only violet used as a cut flower is Viola odorata, which, as the name suggests, is fragrant. These violets have very short stems, each topped with a single dark purple or blue flower. Flowers have 5 broad petals, and the flower centres are pale with obvious yellow anthers.

Violets are only available for a few weeks in the depths of winter. Occasionally imported bunches can be found in summer. Most supplies come from the hills east of Melbourne, NSW and Tasmania, where they are grown in the field.

Language: (blue) ‘faithful devotion’, (white) ‘let’s take a chance’.

What to look for

• Flowers are fully open, with flat petals;
• Scent is a sign of freshness;
• Leaves that are fresh and green;
• Avoid bunches with yellow or blotchy leaves.

Flower Care

1. Keep cool whenever possible.
2. Split bunches and wash any mud and dirt from each stem end.
3. Recut 1 cm off each stem with sharp secateurs and place in cold water immediately.
4. If stems are short float in a saucer of preservative.
5. Preservative is essential– it will help maintain flowers as violets are not long-lived.
6. Replace water every day.
7. Misting is a good idea.

Interesting Facts about this Flower

A traditional sweet in Europe is the candied or crystallised violet, which is a violet flower preserved by a coating of sugar syrup. The flower is immersed in hot syrup and stirred, then taken out. The sugar recrystallises while the flower dries.

When Napoleon married Josephine, she wore blue violets, and on each anniversary Josephine received a bouquet of violets. Following Napoleon’s lead, the French Bonapartists chose the violet as their emblem, and nicknamed Napoleon “Corporal Violet”. When he died, he wore a locket around his neck that contained violets he had picked from Josephin’s gravesite.

Botanical Name: Viola odorata

Common Names: Sweet Violet, Violet

Stem Length: 20 to 40 cm

Country of Origin: Europe

Available Colours: Purple

Season: Winter

Availability: June,July,August