I’m super excited to finally be growing Parma violets. This now uncommon plant was once the most common florist flower of the 19th century. It is the most fragrant of all the violet species, and marked special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Christmas,weddings, balls, etc. It was grown in pots for houseplants and gardens, as cut flowers for bouquets and corsages, and for syrups, liqueurs, candies, and perfume. 3,000 violets were grown at Windsor Castle during Queen Victoria’s reign, with 2/3 of them being the Parma violets ‘Marie Louise’ and ‘Lady Hume Campbell.’ They were grown on large farms in Italy, France, England, and the United States.
I found it interesting that in the U.S., the majority were grown in Rhinebeck, NY, which is quite close to me. Parma violets are not frost tolerant, so they were kept in greenhouses and cold frames. But today, no one but a couple of micro-nurseries grows Parma violets in the U.S. I was very lucky to order one of the variety ‘Compte de Brazza’ and one of the variety ‘Duchesse de Parme.’ They are now unavailable again.
There are several factors that contributed to the Parma violet’s decline in popularity, but mainly it was the compound lonone being synthetically created for perfume in 1910, as well as the opening of the international flower market. But still, it is strange that Parma violets have disappeared almost completely, as it is still the most fragrant violet species and one small pot can perfume a whole room. I have never seen them in a gardening center or nursery. Once there were dozens of varieties, but today all but six have gone extinct.
I’m hoping to offer plants for sale next year. The main methods of propagation for Parma violets are division and layering runners. For whatever reason, the majority of the plants do not produce viable seeds; in fact, for many years they were believed to be sterile. Propagation through cuttings is also an option, though I can’t find a single article or video explaining the exact process, so I’ll have to experiment.
