A week or so ago I bought 4 new African Violets from Walmart. They all had names on them but I could only find one of the names in First Class or on the net. The one I did find is called Optimara Seurat. Here is a photo of it.
Jesse
New violets with no real names
This next one is called Evalien.
Jesse
Here is Lua.
Jesse
The last one was labeled Laguna.
Jesse
Those are pretty, Jesse. I went to WalMart today and they had a new shipment in, but it was already really picked over, so I passed. Yours are in much better shape. : )
It took me a while to pick through all of them and get the best ones. They had just gotten them in so I pretty much got to pick the best ones. I have just discovered a couple more Walmarts in my area that I can go visit now. Next time I go out I'll just have to go to one of the other ones and check them out.
Jesse
Oh Jesse .... very nice! Our Wal-Mart had lots but none are named. They all have the Optimara sticker on them and it says to go to the web site for identification. I got a few more of 'Annabelle' .... now I'm on the lookout for 'Isabelle'. Sure hope our Wal-Marts get in a new shipment soon! And, it sure would be nice to see them all named/labeled!
Great choices you got there, so pretty.
Lin
They are all really pretty. I'm curious, how much did you pay for them? I've only begun growing a/v's and I've used online sources so far. I'm curious to see if there is a difference in price other than shipping.
I love the purple one, and they all look so healthy.
I love Annabelle, I'm on the lookout for her
Jesse beautiful plants ! Thanks for sharing !
Maureen Lin sent me an Annabelle on the tag it said Optimaras Premier Collection. It is as beautiful as the ones I got from Optimara Selective Gardners on special for $12.00 now selling for $15.00 plus shipping. !!
Lin I think paid $1.98 !!!!!!!!!!! I am so gratful for the plant she sent me my only bloomer ! Now I hope she fines Isabella's :))
I find it funny they say exclusive to Selective Gardners yet Hirts sells 4 inch blooming pots of Annabelle and Isabelle for $5.99 or both for $11.99 and now I think she got her's at HD but my mind fails me I'm sure.
I wonder if they grew to many to sell on line ?? I love the bell flowers too ! There are not many bell flower Av's in FC and not seen often and these plants are heavy bloomers ! Hope mine does well as we don't have many windows that get good light .
Here is the link where isabelle and annabelle is $15.00 each. Lin you fount a Gold Mine :))
http://www.selectivegardener.com/
Jesse the plants you could not find in FC did they also have Optimara tags ? I recall a few other people here had Laguna I think someone fount the info on it ??
Maybe they are from a different grower ?
On ebay through Hirts garden. They have the pair Isabell and annabell I belive 11.99 for the pair.
Yes they do I wrote that above too :)) You can also order from their web sight But you can't beat the $1.98 price Lin paid for her few and the pretty she sent me :)) and no shipping !!
beautiful, Jesse! How do you handle isolation with a new plant?
I am so envious. The Wal-Marts in Maryland don't have them. Optimara plants seem to be able to withstand more temperature and climate differences. They are very hardy and grow well for me. The only problem I have is identifying them. The nurseries that I buy them from have only Optimara on the label--no name.
Your plants are beautiful.
My Annabelle and Isabelle are beginning to bloom again. I love the bells and the rosette pattern of the leaves.
This message was edited Jan 7, 2007 11:03 AM
Only the first one I listed had Optimara written on it. The other 3 just had names, but did not say Optimara on them. I think it is strange that some have it written on them and others don't.
I looked at the ones on ebay that are 11.99 a pair but the shipping to my house would be $17.88 which I think is totally unreasonable. So I guess I will just look around at my area Walmarts and HDs and Lowes and see if I can catch one of the bells there. I really do want one each of the bells. I think they are so beautiful. If I don't find any there I will just wait until spring when the shipping goes down and buy them online.
As for isolating, I don't usually do that because I do not have anywhere to do it at. So I keep ScanMask on hand in case I see any bugs of any kind. If I do I just give everything a good dose of ScanMask and that takes care of my problems. So far I have not had to use it. I inspect my violets really well before I bring them home. If they are really buggy I don't buy them.
Jesse
Jesse, What is ScanMask?
It is basically good little nematodes that eat all the bad ones.
Quoting:
SCANMASK is a biological product to kill pest insects. The active units (AU) in SCANMASK are microscopic juvenile Steinernema feltiae (Sf) on an inert carrier. Sf are beneficial insect "eating" nematodes. The Sf in SCANMASK are especially selected for favorable behavior in the field. SCANMASK affects only insects. In a moist dark environment it kills almost all pest insects.
You can read more about it here: http://www.biologicco.com/products/L&G%20scanmask.htm
Jesse
Oh I heard of this, also heard of people using beneficial insects . BUT me I'm scared of an Ant then you store them in your frig. OOOOHHHH :))
Jesse it says for inside >>> Indoors use SCANMASK to fight pests like black vine weevils, fungus gnats and their larvae on houseplants or hot house vegetables. Spread it on top of the soil or use it in potting soil.