Achimenes

My achimenes looking real good this year, the blooms are two inches or more across.

Very pretty! I have never grown an achimenes. Really didn't know the blooms are close to 2" across.

Those are gorgeous! I grew some last year, but forgot to pot them up this year. They are long stringy things in a ziploc baggie right now. LOL I should go ahead and pot them up now, I guess. I don't think mine had such large blooms, though.

Lovely flowers! I've never tried this gessie--how are they to grow?

Wow, what an outstanding Achimenes plant! Great growing! I have never grown Achimenes but they certainly are beautiful: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=achimenes&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search&offset=0

I love that flower and color!

Of all the flowers in my garden these are my favorites. They are easy to grow they start out as rhizomes that look like little pine cones and they multiply over the years. I have been digging mine up and storing them over the winter but these ones I did not last year and I have some really large blooms on them so from now on no more digging up. I have a peach colored one also but they have much smaller blooms. I have to keep them in semi shade as they do not like my hot Mississippi sun. Once you start growing these you will get hooked.

I have to bring mine in for the winter here in the mountains. So i grow them in large pots. they are lovely flowers, sort of hard to come by.

Daves violets carries them,real easy to grow,i just got a few last week,think i got 4 of them
i just dig mine up after they go dormant
JIM

Thanks Jim!
Hmmmmm. Today is my birthday! maybe I will just got to their website.

Happy Happy birthday,Dave is a good guy,just dont mention you like streps best,he will give you a hard time,you could ask him,
Tell him JIM said that he grows some pretty weeds
lol

JIM

hey kivit, happy happy birthday, hope you have a great one.
bonnie

Happy Birthday kivit!

Happy Birthday Kivit!! Sorry I'm so late.

Lynn

WOW another long lost member,now all we need is goldleaf and ill consider buying lotto tickets
miss all you ...a bunch

JIM

I have missed everybody too Jim!!

Lynn

ooooh Phoebe, what is that maroon flower? Looks like a dahlia?

It is an almost black Dahlia! The property manager grew it, but I'm his gardening guru--LOL! When I see him, I'll ask him if he knows the name, but I doubt it--he is a novice gardener here--he's fom MD.--warmer gardening climate. He did not know you have to dig up the tubers in the fall here. Here's a pic of one fully opened.
BTW--I loved your pics on the other thread--I have mostly mini's also. Was that O. Little Moonstone in the background of the last one? I lost that one last winter and would love to trade for a leaf.

Phoebe, I don't know what that one is in the background - it was originally bought at a show by the person who sent it to me, and it was mislabeled as "Guelphs Christmas", which we have since found out that it is NOT.

I will have to look for Opt Little Moonstone pics, maybe that is what it is! It's an incredible bloomer, med green serrated leaves, probably a semi mini...if still interested, you are welcome to a leaf or any babies I have growing once the weather cools enuff to ship.

I took a look at the Opt L Moonstone pic, the color is off, the flowers look pink and the leaves look dark green but the description says white w/ purple centers and light green - my plant matches the description, the only diff I see is that my leaves look a bit more serrated.

Bonnie, what do you think? I am going to look for more pics of this plant online.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2285850280101421248cmekWc

This is an Opt Little Moonstone I found at Webshots. I do believe that this is my plant, need to get Bonnie's opinion though...thanks Phoebe for maybe helping to solve a mystery! We had just been talking about how with the trillions of violets out there, we would probably never really figure out what this one was!!

Oops! A closer look tell me prolly not O. Little Moonstone. The leaves are not the same. But I still like it! The webshots pics a little off too, but sometimes 2 pics of the same plant can look so different!

Hi Jen;
It probably is opt, little moonstone as not only does it look like it, but i had been purchasing several of them for a friend. so thats another reason i think thats what it is.here is another no name that is adorable in constant bloom, whish i knew who it was, i really love it.the flowers are white with a hint of pink in some
bonnie

The pic on the optimara site does not look similar, but if you just google "optimara little moonstone" images, you will get page after page of pics of this variety, and they are all a little different, I suppose alot depends on age of plant, lighting, environment etc -
but I think that that is what I have!

Bonnie and jmp, those are both great looking avs. Don't know how I missed this thread.

I never get to have optimaras as no one around here ever carries african violets.

I am going to check First Class for Optimara Little Moonstone. (Bonnie.....don't let that precious av die.............when I get caught up I have to have a leaf.......but not now)
Optimara Little Moonstone (7352) 04/11/1990 (Holtkamp) Double white/blue-tinged center. Light green, cupped, hairy, ruffled. Miniature

Let me get the other picture........it says the leaves are ruffled????


I don't think they look ruffled in my pictures....

Gail, that photo doesn't look that much like any of the googled opt. L Moonstone pics I have seen! Like I said, environment and lighting when the photo is taken make huge differences. I came across one pic where the flowers were dark purple!

Since Bonnie and I both have the plant in person, blooming, I will ask Bonnie to go to Google's main page and look up images for this violet and see how they compare to what she's got. The majority of the pics look just like mine. Other clues, like the fact that it blooms like crazy (optimara trait for sure!) and seems like a very sturdy healthy plant, and the fact that Bonnie was buying Optimara violets at the time that this one showed up in her possesion...

Bonnie, maybe the pink one you posted above is also an Optimara. I will have to check out the other photos on the site.

The one Bonnie has I promise I had at one time..........and they were all optimaras........one nursery had just gotten in one order only of 30 miniature optimaras.............