Valentine’s Day is on it’s way.. and while I abhor the commercialization of most American holidays…I LOVE a day to celebrate LOVE!
I’m a romantic (in case you couldn’t tell. ) I love flowers, and the darkest of dark chocolates, the French language, poetry, Tennyson, Waterhouse paintings. I love love stories.
One of the great love stories of the ages is that of Napoleon and his Josephine. And it involves the flower of the month for February: the violet.

“Napoleon was a Major-General in the French Army — a man with lofty ambition. To achieve his goals, though, he needed a rich wife. Josephine in turn saw him as a possible patron, and cultivated his friendship. They became lovers in 1795.

December 1795:
I awake full of you. Your image and the memory of last night’s intoxicating pleasures has left no rest to my senses.
Sweet, incomparable Josephine, what a strange effect you have on my heart. Are you angry? Do I see you sad? Are you worried? My soul breaks with grief, and there is no rest for your lover; but how much the more when I yield to this passion that rules me and drink a burning flame from your lips and your heart? Oh! This night has shown me that your portrait is not you!
You leave at midday; in three hours I shall see you.
Meanwhile, my sweet love, a thousand kisses; but do not give me any, for they set my blood on fire.
B.

He proposed in January 1796, and they wed on March 9, 1796, just prior to his taking command of the army in Italy. She was hesistant at first to marry him, because he was “silent and awkward with women, was passionate and lively, though altogether strange in all his person.” In other words… he was too short.
But their marriage was one of the most dramatic, dynamic, lasting and passionate in the history of celebrity marriages.
The scent of violets was the favorite perfume of Josephine Bonaparte. She did not have the tallest or the most faithful of husbands, but he sent her her favorite violets every year on their anniversary. And they became a symbol of faithful love. When Napoleon returned from banishment in Elba, his beloved Josephine was dead. He picked a bouquet of violets for her grave. When Napoleon died, violets and a lock of Josephine’s hair were found in a locket on his person.
Pretty romantic stuff. (Almost as delicious as a Napoleon. I refer to the tasty, short stack of complicated pastry and cream with just the right amount of icing, also called Mille-feuille.)

Violets are small plants; they grow only six inches tall. The leaves are heart shaped and form a basal rosette from which the flowers rise on long stalks.
There are three common varieties of violet. The sweet violet has fragrant white or purple flowers and blooms in the early spring. The scent of the sweet violet is the strongest of the common violets. The wood violet is slightly larger than the sweet violet and is very similar to the common dog violet which blooms later in the season. There are also many varieties that are edible and delightful when candied or sprinkled fresh on top of a salad.

In the language of flowers violets send a message of friendship and esteem, or in the dark purple, “You have my faithful love.”
Perfect for Valentine’s Day! Or any day you want to express your humility; your willingness to overcome your ‘shortcomings.’