Oh I have such a soft spot for violets. There were only a few blooming violets in the greenhouse on our visit to Battenfeld’s Anemone Farm after Valentine’s Day. But they were kind enough to ship a few bunches straight to my door when there were enough blooms to make a couple bouquets. In the early 1900’s Rhinebeck was known as ‘The Violet Capital of the World.’ When ‘the purple thunderstorm,’ was ready to be harvested, fast pickers could pick as many as 5,000 single violet blooms in a day! Though they have gone out of vogue and there will probably never be the demand for violet bouquets that there once was, I will always hold a fond admiration for the delicate and fragrant purple blooms.
If you’re looking for that sweet violet scent, Balenciaga Paris is one of my favorites.
Photography Beth Horta for Sweet Sabelle.