Saturday, December 08, 2007

GREEN THUMB SUNDAY African Violets

I don't remember my violets blooming in December, before. I am glad I have this on line record so that next year I can start seeing if there is a pattern. I remember thinking African violets were an 'old lady' plant. Now that I am fast headed to that stage of life, I can appreciate the fact that, when there is snow on the ground outside, I have something to tend and enjoy inside.
I killed a great many of these little beauties in years past, then became friends with Dona, who knew how to raise them, and had glorious A. violets that bloomed all the time!
I haven't reached her level, yet, but I do enjoy my voilets. She taught me to water from the bottom, and only every ten days. (I mark my calendar to help me remember, and water all my indoor plants at that interval.) It's important to fertilize with a good A. violet fertilizer (she swore by Peter's African Violet Plant Food), and to let the water sit a few days to reach room temperature before you use it on your plants. My mother says doing that also gives the chlorine in the water time to dissipate, but I don't know about that.
How do you take care of your African violets?

7 comments:

Emily said...

well i don't have any african violets, but they are beautiful. :)

that's all i wanted to say.

they're beautiful.

MrBrownThumb said...

Very nice. I wish I had better space on the windows to grow some. I'm a big fan of the miniatures.

happy GTS

Aiyana said...

Nice photos. The velvety leaves show up nicely. Love the hot pink African violet in the last photo. Happy GTS,
Aiyana

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos of your African Violets. These bring back memories of growing up. My mom used to have dozens of violets and used ultraviolet lights on them. They were also the flower of my sorority in college. Thanks for sharing the great photos!

Anonymous said...

I like the colour of the petals especially the purple.
Sara from farmingfriends

Anonymous said...

Chigiy at Gardener’s Anonymous
Your African Violets are beautiful. I used to grow them and I did quite well. Seeing yours makes me want to get some more.
Enjoy.

Frgarden said...

You're violets are beautiful. How much and what kind of light will they grow under. Recently, I bought one and would like to try to grow them. I have a 10' porch that wraps around my house, therefore, there's no window sill with enough light for them.

If I grow them under uv lights, how long do I leave them there. In late spring and summer, I can put them on the porch. What direction should I face them?

Blessings,
Lynnita