We have a pretty nice Violet nursery here in town, and one day I accidentally wandered in...I came home with a few plants since they seemed to *want* to be in my atrium :D They are SO small, SO easy and SO cheap compared to orchids! My husband asked me "why don't you give up the orchids and switch to violets?" :roll: I told him "why don't you give up watching football and switch to chess?" (might as well...he's an Aggie) He's lucky violets are so small...I have room for BOTH :cheeky:

Blue Star
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a93/tdrollo/2005_1120Image0012.jpg

Buckeye Candy Striper (varigated leaves!)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a93/tdrollo/2005_1120Image0010.jpg

Very cute looking violets and I think they are one of the easiest houseplants to grow. Yes, good thing they stay small but I would never give up my slippers for anything either! :lol:

Pretty colors, but I don't think I could give up the space. :D

i think they look great! but i will leave the violets to my grandma i too couldnt give up room

Time to dig up and take some photos....
I've only got one african violet 'Apache Midnight' which is a variegated (of course) dark purple ruffled one and is turning into a palm tree. I've had it for probably 7 years and it has a 4 inch tall trunk with all the leaves on top. I've heard you can chop that off and re-root it, but I think it looks neat the way it's growing.

I mostly grow gesneriads other than the violets, and will have to get pics of my Streptocarpus 'Captain Blood' that is absolutely huge right now with about 20 blooming stems, among others. If you know of a source for a nicely variegated Streptocarpella, PLEASE let me know, I've been hunting one for some time and have only found a pic online. Stay tuned.

Jon

They are pretty, Teresa, and Jon I look forward to seeing yours!
I had one that I neglected a bit too much. It lived w/ the orchids when I first got my first few. That didn't last long though.
Also, it had very purple tinged leaves, which I heard meant it needed some magnesium, so I treated it w/
epsom salts a couple times, but by that time, the orchids had taken over so one day - kerplunk. Compost!

I use to raise Violets but they gave way to Orchids, not having the room for both, I do still have one Violet it is King something… can’t think right now. A friend in NJ. Sent me the start of this violet it belonged to her husbands mother, She had it for many many years. So I am not sure how long this one has been around. It just seems to be in flower most of the time.

So pretty!
I grew these for so many years. I could always depend on see'ing flowers with violets, and then i got an eye for Orchids ... KISSED my violets goodbye. DANG i miss them ALOT.
O'well guess i'll just have to get me another Orchid to get over it :WOW:

Gloria :Party:

We have some of these around the house too. They always seem to be in flower, and add a nice touch to the living room.

I like the fuzzy leaves too :-dance:

violets are one of the few plants I haven't been able to kill, yet. I agree they are always in bloom or just about to bloom.

I still haven't taken any recent pics, but here's the ones on the hard drive:

Streptocarpus 'Black Leopard'
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC04819.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC02536.jpg

Streptocarpus 'Captain Blood'...this is the one that is HUGE now, and the flowers are about 3" across
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC05153.jpg

Saintpaulia 'Apache Midnight'
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC02873.jpg

Columnia hirta
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC04407.jpg

Not a gesneriad, but more related to an iris is the Walking Iris, Neomarica longifolia...my 12 hour flower, smells great but lasts less than a day
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC04772.jpg

I'll get some updated photos of the ones above and the other species I don't have photos of yet.

Jon

WOW!!
You do have a greenhouse don't you? lucky guy!
That first one almost reminds me of a vanda! Unbelievable!
If I'd known these could be so nice...
I really like the variegated one and the Columnia also.
Special! Thanks for the education (as usual!)

You have really superb taste you know - surprised no one has picked you up - a perfect catch, IMO!

I've got plants everywhere, but don't dare put fleshy leaved houseplants like the violets in the greenhouse or the basement growroom...they'd rot waayyyy too easily so they get the west and south windows with the amaryllis and succulents.

Unfortunately for me picking out girlfriends has been like picking out complex paph seedlings...lots of potential, but they never end up like what you'd hoped. Anymore I just have good friends to go out with, and will probably find what I'm looking for when I'm not looking.

Teresa,

We old Aggies cant give up our team. We are, after all, the 12th man. A big Howdy to your hubby.

Gig Em!!!!!! WHOOP!!!!

Teresa,

We old Aggies cant give up our team. We are, after all, the 12th man. A big Howdy to your hubby.

Gig Em!!!!!! WHOOP!!!!

Yes yes, as a UT graduate I gave up trying to explain things (like reality) to Aggies long ago.... :wink:

I have one. It was a dollar salvage from Lowes. I really liked the variegated leaves. This isn't the gratest pic but the leaves are pink and green with pink flowers
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/Ron-NY/av.jpg

:ohmy: That has some of the nicest variegated leaves I've ever seen on an African Violet!
Very Nice!

Jon

Awesome! I am going to keep an eye out for some of those next time I go to the nursery :clap:

Wow, cool plant Ron :clap:

come spring I can do some leaf cutting and start them, it if you would like.

Pretty pretty, guys!

come spring I can do some leaf cutting and start them, it if you would like.

Ooooo! I'll take one! I've never tried to root a violet leaf. Still trying to master keeping roots on my orchids!

The most common method of propagation is by leaf cutting in spring. Any healthy, firm leaf will do. Remove the entire leaf with petiole (leaf stem) by snapping or cutting it off at the stem of the plant and trim the petiole to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length. Then make a hole in the growing medium (such as a half sand, half vermiculite mix) with a pencil, insert the leaf stem into the hole, and water thoroughly. Roots normally appear at the petiole base in 3 to 4 weeks under good conditions and leaves of the new plants appear at the medium surface 3 to 4 weeks after root formation. In two to six months, young plants start from the bases of the stalks, which you'll be able to repot once they've formed two to three leaves.