Persian Violet, German Violet (Exacum affine)

Hi Wingnut!

Long time no see - hope all's well with you and yours!

Thanks for posting this picture - my next door neighbor got this plant in early summer and has been pestering me to find out what it is and how to grow it - and now I know!!!

;)

Hey, guy! I was thinking of you the other day as I was crying over the patch of Prickly Poppy that I'd been eyeing ~ someone mowed it down! ARRRGH! Would you believe I've searched all over my place for them and the Blue Eyed Grass and couldn't find ANY on the ranch? I could have SWORN I saw patches of atleast the BEG before. But I do have a friend who collected some BEG seed from her ranch to send you, so we've got that one covered. I wish I could have found it growing here. Maybe I can plant some, then collect seeds from those? *G*

About the plant ~ it was a concerted effort. I did a search for it in the PDB so I could learn how to grow it (just got one the other day) and when it gave me results for other plants, but not Exacum affine. I didn't even think that it wasn't in there ~ the PDB has gotten so big ~ so I reported it as an error, that that search gave me the wrong plant. Terry got back to me to tell me it wasn't in there and she added it. Duh! LOL!

hi,

thank you for putting this picture up. my exacum blue is causing me a lot of distress. it was very pretty when i got it abt 3 weeks ago (looks like yours), but since, it has stopped blooming...the buds just sort of turn blue then shrivel up. i dont know whats wrong. the temperature is abt 71 degree average. my apt dont get direct sun. i feed it with an violet fertiliser abt once a week. i dont water it until the soil feels dry. hope you can help, coz im a total plant philistine (picked up my 1st few pots a month ago. now completely hooked).

This message was edited Wednesday, Nov 26th 12:17 AM

Hi, Quirkyms! Welcometo the wonderful world of gardening! You'll have SO much fun, especially if you remember one thing ~ you're NOT stretching yourself as a gardener if you're not killing a few plants.

Speaking of that, I fried my Persian Violet. *Ooof!* I forgot to open the greenhouse one day and it got reeeeeeally hot in there. :( Since that plant was the first one I've ever had and I didn't have it that long, I can't help you much. Except to say that on the main plant page (at the link above in my first post) it says to not let it dry out between waterings. For most plants, letting them dry out a little between waterings is good (I just stick my finger in the pot and if it doesn't feel moist or damp, I water), so you were doing good, just not for this plant. If I were you, I'd keep it damp all the time. That might do it?

Good luck! Let me know here if it gets better (if you remember then). :)

hi wingnut!

thanks for replying! you're probably the ONLY gardener i know :) (florist not counted)

i have good news to share. my little german violet seems to have revived. the weird thing, i didnt do anything, except to move it to the window ledge where the circulation is better. in less than 48hours, it started blooming! as for the soil, in my internet research, i read that in winter, its good to let it dry out before watering. *shrug* i just water when the soil (yup, the finger test)is drying out, but not completely dry. we'll see :) these things are tempermental, i realise. the cyclamen that i bought together with the violets was doing wonderfully (they bloomed!) while the blues were in distress. now that the blue is ok, my cyclamens' blooms are shriveling, & i have no idea why! well, im gonna take ur advice & take it easy :)

sorry to hear abt ur fried friend :) persian violet is different fr german violet rite? i read that they're easier to maintain. is that true?

have fun pottering around too.

Wonderful!!! Guess what? I have good news to share, too ~ mine isn't blooming BUT IT'S ALIVE! *Wingnut shrieks in her best Dr. Frankenstein voice* Hmmm, you're right, during winter it's good to keep things on the dry side since they're not doing much active growing due to cooler temps and shorter day length. I didn't think of that. So you're plant's recovery says you're doing right after all! :)

From what I understand, Persian Violet and German Violet are the same thing ~ both are common names for Exacum affine. BUT there very well COULD be other plants out there with the same common names, so that statement could still be true. Do a websearch for "Wandering Jew" and you'll see what I mean ~ there must be twenty plants with that name, same family but different plants.

About the cyclamen, I've never successfully kept one of those for longer than a few months, either. BUT I did work in a nursery for a while where we sold them and I learned that they grow from a bulb-type thing that needs to be kept dry. Look at the base of your cyclamen for a flat, round thing that the stems are emerging from. If it's covered in soil, uncover it so it'll stay dryer. It being covered in soil, then rotting is a GOOD way for that to rot and the plant to die (that's the way I've killed all mine and finally learned ;). They also like to be on the cool side, so I figured there's just not much hope for me to have cyclamen in Texas. ;)

You said before that your apartment doesn't get much light. Do you have any south-facing windows? Those are great for plants. I'm not sure, but I don't think that would be a BIG problem with the two plants we're talking about. I think they like a little dappled shade, so just bright indirect light would be fine.

You're welcome for the response. Have you checked out the rest of Dave's yet? Pretty neat place!! And there are a lot of us nice gardeners here. Here's hoping that soon I won't be the only gardener you know. :) Happy Holidays, Quirky!

hey, you really saved my cyclamen. covering the bulb & watering on it was definitely the way to kill it. you were the only person who hit on that point..guess coz u've got "experience" killing them in the 1st place! LOL! well, i went on holiday, returned and yup, tiny new ones growing out. yippee. too bad the same holiday just abt killed the Exacum blue..it dried up. sigh. im still hoping. these challenging, tempermental gentle creatures!

thanks for all your help & happy new year!

You're very welcome! Glad I could help. And Happy New Year to you, too. :)