Introduction :
Hello my friends, this Franck from the Toulouse blog.
Today, I suggest you talk about the beauties that nature offers us.
Indeed, I will introduce you to the emblematic flower of our city : The Toulouse violet .
As a former landscaper, it is with immense joy that I set out with my pen in hand to introduce this magnificent flowers.
Finally, we will discover the ambassador of the violet in our city : Hélène.
This will be the occasion for an extraordinary human encounter.
A little history :
A beautiful legend tells that a soldier in the imperial army of Napoleon III brought his fiancée from Toulouse a pot of violets.
Which would therefore have made it possible to start cultivating violets in Toulouse.
Is existence is attested in the Middle Ages since as early as 1324.
It was a attributed to poests during the floral games competition.
In 1906, the violet market was held in the Jacobins refectory.
In 1918, thanks to the railway, this magnificent flower was shipped to the four corners of Europe.
For 150 years, Toulouse market gardeners have cultivated the Toulouse violet with passion.
Today, this flower is a unique local product, carried by artisans who imagine and develop original and artisanal creations while maintaining a tradition.
Every year, the Toulouse town hall organizes a party on the Place du Capitole in honor of the beauty of this flower.
This event takes place in February, the flowering period of these splendid little flowers.
The violet is dear to the hearts of the inhabitants of Toulouse.
It is also present in the traditionnal costume of our region, the dominant cofor of which is purple.
Even our football team, " TFC " does honor to the little flower since it plays with a purple and white jersey.
Presentation of the essential place for violets in Toulouse and our great local muse " Hélène " , passionate about this magnificent little flower.
I invite you to discover Hélène's fascination interview which will teach us many things about the atypical place she chose to exhibit the violet in Toulouse.
She will give us valuable information about this little flower and introduce herself to us.
The interview :
Hello Hélène, thank you for welcomming us to this one that is both magnificent and one might say atypical.
First of all, can you introduce yourself in a few words ?
Yes, my name is Hélène, I was born in Carcassonne and I live in Toulouse for 38 years.
I define myself as a free person, I care a lot, joyful, voluntary, very dynamic, human and who enjoys life to the fullest.
I am a true creator, every day looking for new violet-based products and I work with many artisans.
Where did the passion for this magnificent flower which is the violet come from ?
We had a garden in my parent's house and anything purple always attracted me.
You could say that this color was like a soul mate for me .
When I moved to Toulouse, I had a hobby of collecting old postcards from Toulouse.
Then I realized that in Toulouse, this emblematic flower of this city which me call pink city, no place honored this magnificent little flower.
And it's 23 years since I created this place on a barge located on the wet " Canal du Midi " in Toulouse to honor the violet of our beautiful pink city.
Why did you choose a barge to make it your entrance dedicated to violets ?
I wanted a strong, rallying place, Toulouse being the city of violets.
And I wonted a symbolic place, a strong image.
Nothnig better to fulfill all the qualififers is classified as a UNESCO world heritage Site.
I must admit that this adventure was not easy.
This barge in its early days served the " Shell " oil compagny in 1930.
It had a 132-ton tank to trasport oil.
Then, a cereal producer took over to deliver to different costumers.
For my part, I bought this barge in 1998 and I took me two years to hand work, given it more than average condition, ti finally see the birth of this place dedicated totally, lovingly, and desperately of the Toulouse violet.
I'm a former landscaper..so I know..Can you explain to us the conditions for cultivating the Toulouse violets ?
The violet arrived in Toulouse in 1850.
The more tan 400 varieties of violet in the world.
What is certain, it's that the one from Toulouse comes from Italy.
It is the Parma violet from Toulouse double and with around forty petals.
Its characteristic that it does not make seeds, it a perennial.
It grows is half shade or half sun, it needs water, humidity, and in fact, I'm going to use a metaphor, " You have to take care of it like an animal !!! . " .
To be able to cultivate violets every year, in spring and autumn, we take cuttings and cut them 4/5 cm from their height.
This flower is fantastic because its flowering takes place at the end of winter, when our gardens do not yet have many colors.
It's enchanting spectacle every time.
Let's talk a little history now : The violet associated with the city of Toulouse : Can you tell us why ?
Yes there are a lot of legends circulating around the arrival of the violet in Toulouse.
But for me, one thing is certain, there is a lot of love around violet, it is a true " French art of living !!! . "
What does the culture and passion for the violet ultimately give you a human level ?
This is simply the meaning of my life.
It's extraordinary that she is in Toulouse and that all this is sustainable.
When, I was young, I wanted to be an artist and go to arts school, but that didn't happen.
But in a sense, I grow and work with violet as an art, so I thnik I have achieved my goal.
I'm passionate, free, non-conformist and my love for this flower allows me to travel, which I love above all esle.
To finish Hélène, what can we find on this barge ?
All our creations which are made with violet.
They are numerous and cover different areas.
In the summer, I allow groups who come to se us, it's in my nature to taste our succulent violet ice cream on the deck of the barge outside.
And it's an unforgattable moment every time !!! .
Thank you Hélène for giving some of your time to answer our questions.
The blog from Toulouse wishes you a beautiful and peaceful day.
What you can find in this atypical place dedicated to violets :
There you have it, you will bi able to discover this magnificent place deicated to the Toulouse violet that can be seen in this photo.
It looks classy and has been restored with great taste.
You will find all the products that are created from violets and the choice is great.
For my part, I let myself be tempted by dark chocolate with violet.
At first, I was skeptical because violet is very sweet.
Well it was a great find and my taste buds still remember it....As so all those in my family who didn't leave me much !!! .
So my friends, don't hesitate to got to this place and treat yourself.
You will discover many surprising creations based on violet.
BONUS PHOTOS :
Here my friends, I hope you will enjoy reading this post and this interview with Hélène who taught us many things about the Toulouse violet.
I couldn't miss this flower, it is part of our local heritage.
So, if one day you come to visit Toulouse, don't miss out on seeing this magnificent place dedicated to this little purple flower.
Adress : Barge on the Canal du Midi facing the 3 boulevard Bonrepos 31 000 Toulouse.
Metro line A " Matabiau station " .
Phone : 05/61/99/01/30
Group reservation : 05/61/80/75/02
Website : www.lamaisondelaviolette.com
Contact : violette@lamaisondelaviolette.com
Online store : lamaisondelaviolette.com
Wecome in Toulouse.
The blog from Toulouse.
Greetings Franck.