Hello! Keeley takes us down lots of fragrant and delicious rabbit holes all about the violet. This small but mighty flower has deep roots in the floristry world, as well as being the OG red rose (it’ll make sense once you listen!) And yes, this gave Keeley another opportunity to complain about roses.

We take a trip down memory lane with films and books, take a quick stop at the Tate to admire some art and look up recipes for violet pudding.

Books

* The Hedgerow Apothecary by Christine Iverson

* Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants, and Trees by Ernst and Johanna Lehner

* Floriography by Jessica Roux

* Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker

* Flowers and Their Meanings by Karen Azoulay

Artwork

* Lady with a Bowl of Violets by Lila Cabot Perry (1910) at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

* A Bouquet of Violets by Édouard Manet (1872)

* Ophelia by John Everett Millais (1851-52) at the Tate

Head to our Instagram for visuals.

Also mentioned

* Betty May @bettymaywrote - features the character Violet the mouse in the Wildwood series

* The article by Felicity Hall from historyworkshop.org.uk about flower girls

Flowers & Folklore on Instagram

We’d love to hear from you!

Have your own floral stories or lore about violets? We’re accepting reader submissions, so if you have a flower story, (about any flower) please share it with us! Comment below or email us at flowersandfolklorepodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the episode!

Sarah & Keeley

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