I just got in my new issue of COUNTRY GARDENS magazine and it had an article about Alluring African Violets. The pics show them in antique teacups! So cute.
Teresa in KY
Anyone growing miniature Violets?
Hi;
I grow lots od mini & semi mini violets & they do look adorable in pretty tea cups.
mrsbonnie
I have several in the baby stage.Nice to meet you!!
Lynn
Hi, how large do the semi minis get? You can tell that I am a newbie.
My grandmother grew over 30 years ago. Sweet childhood memories.
Teresa
The guidelines for size are less than 6" in diameter for minis, less than 8" for semis if I understand it correctly.
There are micro-mini's too but I have never had much luck with them as they tend to put out a lot of suckers and then don't bloom. You can keep a plant smaller sometimes by keeping it in a smaller pot and removing the bottom row of leaves as it grows new leaves in the crown. Thats neat a magazine had the violets! There is a website, robsviolets aka the violet barn, and you can see pictures of all the different varieties of blooms and leaf patterns that are available. There are also trailing violets, they have more than one crown and so they have a lot of blooms...they come in minis too.
Could someone post a link please? I think it would be quite challenging to start one from a leaf. Granny, did with a lot of success! My house has smaller type windows. So low light is an issue here. Where could I buy a kitchen shelf for them?
I grow 150 daylily varieties and 40+ hosta and iris. I have had good luck with outside plants and would love to try these little guys. Maybe 2010 is time for me to have houseplants too. At 50 I am not getting any younger!
Ms Bonnie could you post a pic of yours in teacups?
Teresa
this is baby moonbeams, a micro, there are probably 3 or 4 plants in this pot, keeps sending up new ones.I do not usually put my plants in tea cups as i have quite a few, but do know they sure look cute in them.
mrsbonnie
Bonnie, I collect old teacups and saucers, so I thought it would be cute to try a couple. I have seen a shelf that goes on your window sill for violets. Any one know where I could order something like that.
Oh, my gosh that Violet Barn site is dangerous! I love the cupped leaves and the the ones edged in white. I work hybridizing daylillies and love the varieties that are in the new violet cultivars. Not just your plain purples any more.
For tea cups, it is best to leave the plant in a small pot and set it down into the tea cup with some gravel, perlite...something in the bottom of the tea cup so the bottom of the pot will have something to keep it from sitting in water.
I'm sure someone here will trade you some starter plants and leaves for a daylily when the weather warms up a little....I know I would. Send me a d-mail if interested.
tish
I don't have many very small plants mostly larger ones but if you want semi-minis send me a d-mail and when spring comes if the babies I'm growing make it I can send some to you. I just ordered a few to be delivered when it's warmer and two were semi-minis so I can send leaves of those too.
I also am very tentative to start leaves of the mini varieties they are so tiny and seem like it is harder. But maybe it's just as easy. Another member sent me a semi-mini and it's big enough now maybe I should try it to see what happens and find out how hard it is.
i also have micro's & mini's, just let me know what you would like & when weather permitting i can send you some.
mrsbonnie
Oh, that is exciting! I can send something in exchange or a check for postage/plants. Thanks, I love DG folks. Gardeners, can be so generous.
Thanks,
Teresa
I'm also developing a small collection of mini/semi-minis. I've only got about a dozen or so, and am waiting for more. The ones I have are new and
are mostly still recovering from shipping in cold weather, but once they are in better shape and blooming (this spring I assume), I'll post a list of
what I've got on the "sticky". I'd love to trade with anyone that'd be interested.
Jan
Jan, just love your amaryllis in the plant files!! Could be another addiction coming on. Just how hard are they to grow?
Mrs. Bonnie, Baby Moonbeams is so sweet!
I am trying to grow a mix of sizes. If you have any trailers, we are doing a Japanese experiement if you would like to join in. It will be a long process but we will have some awesome trailers by the time it is done. Jannich started the project for us :)
Hey Melanie! DITTO on your post :) I LOVE tropicals and mrsbonnie does NOT help our addiction one bit :)
Connie
Hey all;
I have a good collection of gessies growing now, & i love to show them off when they bloom, some i grow just for the foliage, they are all so pretty.But when the weather gets permissable we can do alot of swapping, always so much fun.here is br. psychedelic son
mrsbonnie
Very pretty Bonnie!! Love the yellow.
Ms. Bonnie, by foliage do you mean the ones with white on them. Sorry newbie here. Can you post pics of those?
Thanks,
Teresa
this is fishermans paradise, it has lots of white & pink in it.
bonnie
Bonnie--I did not know Baby Moonbeams was a micro--mine has never bloomed. Has yours? Do you grow in any special way? Mine is just sitting on the tray under lights.
I love the variegation on Fisherman's Paradise!!
Oh, that is nice. Do you have picotee edges in violets too?
yes some picotee edges,baby moonbeams did bloom A& has very tiny cotton candy pink flowers really adorable.
,rsbonnie
oops, the flowers on baby moonbeam are blue & white semidouble, got it mixed up with kentucky baby sister. lol
mrsbonnie
OMG< In love with Fisherman's Paradise!
Mrs Bonnie..the leaves on the Fisherman's Paradise are amazing..Love it..what color are the blooms.
Sonia
the blooms have not opened yet, but look purple, will post a picture when they are open.
mrsbonnie
Can't wait to see it. It is so beautiful in or out of bloom! Eveyone knows mrsbonnie can grow 'em...and 'em means EVERYTHING!!!!
Connie
Ain't that the truth!!!
YEP!!! ANYTHING...EVERYTHING... she's the one :)
It sure seems that way doesn't it? Maybe I need to take a trip and go see what she does because her results are so perfect.
See if you can head on over there and sneak some of that magic dust back to some of us. She has to have some hidden somewhere :)
wow. all the compliments, lol believe me i can not grow everything, i have killed 10 different plants of jaco;s gem, just because i like it, it always dies on me, makes no different what size it is either.lol But what i have found that really helps my plants quite a bit is to foliar spray, which i do quite often when there is going to be a show, i belong to 2 different clubs, i african violet & the other gessies.so i am always trying to grow for some show it seems.so i foliar spray usually twice a week with ultra growth & superthrive. I know you can not get ultra growth any longer which is a bummer as it's really great stuff, I was useing 1 teap. of ultra growth & a few drops of superthrive to a 32 oz. bottle of water & use hot water in the am, this way they dry fast under the lights, it's a very fine mist & seems to do wonders for my plants.
mrsbonnie
meag848:
Sorry for not getting back sooner. It's been a weird week.
I'm glad you enjoyed the amaryllis shots. Amaryllis are really easy. Just a bit of potting mix + perlite, a shot of water, a sunny spot and you're good to go. And they ARE rather addictive. I've gotten a few every fall for quite some time. After 15+ years of this, I've
developed a bit of a collection. A few years ago, I started to get serious about preparing them for rebloom over the summer. So now every year from early February to mid April, we counteract the grey Michigan weather by keeping a riot of amaryllis blooming in the breakfast
nook. A little nuts, but very fun! If you decide to get some, drop me a line if you need any help getting started.
mrsbonnie:
Thanks for the tip about Superthrive. I use it as a booster when I repot my orchids, but for some reason, it never occured to me to use it otherwise. I'll have to give your misting method
a try on my new violets. Can't argue with results, and your gessies are really gorgeous!
Jan
Mrs B what color blooms does Fishermans Paradise have? I am married to a avid fisherman lol.
T
as i said before, i think they will be purple, but they have not opened yet. but the plants varigation is to die for,really beautidul.
mrsbonnie
Fisherman's Paradise (4843) 06/04/1982 (B. Sisk) Double dark lavender/purple edge. Variegated, pointed, frilled. Large (DAVS 548)
mrsbonnie is right - the foliage is to die for!
Hi All;
Here is fishermans paradise in bloom.
mrsbonnie
Mrs Bonnie, it's beautiful!!! Once again, you sure know how to grow them!!!