The only EverFloris I have is "EverGrace" and it is small. It won't be blooming for quite some time. I think yours is salmon-pink with green edge. How pretty! Please don't forget the photos once yours blooms.

Elaine

Tmac:

I think I may have all of them now.. they are easy to grow.. I have found they do not like strong light, even though their leaves are a dark green.

They grow huge and bloom all the time. They have almost perfect symetry without any training. Very showy!!

Good Luck.. I know you will enjoy it!

Tea

Hi Tea,

Do you know where I can purchase these space plants?

much appreciated,
Wendy

Wendy -- I've found a couple of them at Bluebird Greenhouse. (I've attached a link. You must scroll to the bottom of the webpage to see them.) Hopefully Tea can tell you where to find others! Also check your local nursery. That's where I found mine. Someone else online told me that they found theirs at Lowes! Wish my Lowes carried AVs like that! Good luck on your search!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluebird Greenhouse

Wendy, you can try Ebay.. sometimes you can get a great deal this time of the year.. lot less than what you paid, but you will have to pay for shipping.. sometimes the same vendor will have more than one variety and you can contact them to find out if they do and will sell you another so the shipping charges are not so high for just one plant. They will combine shipping.

Also you can buy plugs online, but they cost $10 each and I think that is way too much for a plug. Plug being a very small plant.

Also check the vendors online by typing in African violets in the search.. lots of the vendors carry the space violets and you can buy the leaves not just the plants cheap.

The leaves are very easy to proprogate.. seems the space violets want to just have babies not matter what. Very easy to grow!!

Tea

Wendy, The Selective Gardener is Optimara's semi-official online vendor; they sell all available Optimara varieties, including the space violets.

Korina

Here is a link that might be useful: The Selective Gardener

They are WEEDS!

I got mine from Bluebird - excellent big plants, BTW.
They have relatively small blooms - they are typical commercial varieties. To have the definite greenish edge they need to be cold - so they do it better in winter.

There 2 reasons why you pay so much:
1 - legal - they are patented Optimaras (Everfloris - whatever) and I presume Holtkamp Grennhouses invested a lot of money to run seeds on a satellite for 5 years.

2. They are sport a lot when you propagate them from leaf. Whatever variety you put - 50% of the plantlets will bloom like EverPraise - Clorox bleached pale blue.

They have naturally simmetrical rosettes, bloom like commercials - big show - rest- big show - rest. But they are not spectacular. Nothing to say WOW about...

Irina

Well my space violets do say WOW!!.. most anyone who comes into my home and see them blooming do say "WOW"!! Mine are huge plants have no less then 20 blooms on them at any time.. they love to show-off!!

The rich dark color of the leaves just sets off the beautiful blooms. I love them as they bloom almost all year here.

I keep my home at 68-70 degrees year round and they along with the other violets love it!!

What they do not like is high intense light. So I put them at the end of my shelf or towards the front, where the light is not as bright.

But they will bloom constantly for you if you give them what they love!!

Tea

My Lowes has them.

My EverGrace is sitting under the fluorescent light 12 inches from the leaves. It is wicked and matted. The leaves of this variety are pale green - and the bloom is pale blue and it leaves are stretching up. It is 16 inches diameter plant now at top of the bloom cycle - about 60 flowers, they are 1-1.5 inches size if you flatten them.

Everharmony sits next to it - similar conditions - is smaller, light pink flowers, rosette is flat, leaves are darker, it is pass the top bloom - so it has may be 15 flowers 1.5 inch diameter.

I guess it is about personal preference. I like bigger flowers - less in quantity - but more spectacular. I just looked at the Bow Tie on the same tray - and the flowers are 2.5 - 3 inches, purple stars with dark violet fantasy streaks, shiny dark foliage. Candy Fountain is blooming like never before - may be 40 flowers - just doesn't want to behave like a trailer, mostly grows single crown - I need to take the advice and pinch the top off - when it will slow down its blooming.

They are just more interesting for me...

Irina

Irina:

My EverGrace is also wicked on deli containers.. but it is not directly under the lights, but at the end of the shelf, where the light is not as intense.. my leaves are a very shiny dark wavy green. The flowers are medium blue and white with a green frilled edge.

My EverHarmony foliage is the same and also grows at the end of the shelf where the light is not so intense. My blooms are pink and white frilled with a pink and green tinged edge.

Some other trailers that are beautiful and unusual are Pacific Pearl (mini), Pink Mint (semi) and Rob's Jindalee (semi). And they grow very nice in hanging pots too.

I hang then at the end of my shelves.. just have to turn them every few days so they will not grow lop-sided. The pots I use are the ones that have snap-on saucers, so I can wick them using the saucer as my reservior. I burn 4 holes in the rim, attach fishing line in each, then attach the other end to a S-hook. Close the end of the S-hook the line is attached, so the line will not keep coming off the hook.

Depending on how deep your shelves are.. I am able to hang 2 at each end, except for my standards, they take up more room.

Tea

Tea - hello,

I do not grow violets in natural light - enough light - but not enough humidity. Trays and mats and wicks and close vicinity on the shelves do the trick. I grow streptocarpus plants in natural light, kohlerias- on a sunny window just behind the screen - they do OK - but the leaves are not perfect = but they grow so big - no way I could stick them on a shelf. Chirita Hisako does pretty good in a natural light - and one trailer - Cherokee Trail - what a beauty - but big.

I love miniature trailers - aren't Robs trailers mostly semi? I got Rob's Vanilla Trail recently and it blooms heavenly on small plant. I have Cirelda - also does good and Milky Way Trail - but again - I think they need more humidity so they are better on the shelves - bunches of small leaves loose more water then standard size leaves. Rob's trailers - they are so well behaved - no problems with pinching and shaping - just do right on their own.

I tried Everfloris on a natural light on the table in self-watering pots (Dandies and Swifts). For me they do better under fluorescents just look better.

BTW - Walmart sells self watering pots for 99c - grey plastic, snap on saucer with an opening on one side - not big enough reservoir for me - again because of low humidity I would need to water every day - but easy to water when it is hanging - your fishline idea is great - I just got some macrame thingies from Walmart as well - and columneas do good in them.

What kind of shelves do you use? I just do not have any space left to attach anything to on the side.

Pleasure to talk to you]

Irina

Irina:

All my AV's are grown under lights with the exception of those I display around the home.

The stands I have are 72 x 48 x 18.. all chrome on caster. I like the fact they are on heavy duty casters.. I can move them around. They come with 6 shelves, but I only use 5 on some and 4 on others. Mini's, semi's and babies are on the 5 shelf and all the standards are on the 4 shelves. Shelves are adjustable to the height you need, as with all the light fixtures. The very top shelf, where there are no fixtures, I use to store all my supplies, also on the floor under the shelves I can store supples too.

All my standards are wicked on deli containers that I buy by the case.. some of my show mini's and semi's are wicked on them also. All the others are in holeless trays with set-in egg crates - wicked also. Each shelf can hold 4 trays.

I think I will check out the Wal-Mart pots with saucers.. I have an idea that might work.. attached the fishing line to the saucer, place an 8 ounce deli container in the saucer, then put the plant in the pot on top of the deli container. This way there is more water for the reservoir.. might try that to see if it works.. also the Dandy containers are another way that could be used for the hanging trailers. Just put a saucer under the Dandy pot to hold it with the line attached.. this might work also. And they are attractive too.

Well I am always thinking of new things to do with plants. My husband says he never knows what I am up too!!

Tea

lol,

Irina has said it very eloquently:

"They are WEEDS!"

...there is nothing more I can say, except possibly that:

"They are EXPENSIVE WEEDS"...don't buy them, and maybe they'll stop selling them.

Russell

Russel - it is TGIF, so cheer up.

We have 2 days to play with our weeds!!!

We do not make money off them (somebody else makes it on us, suckers)

We do not eat them

They take valuable time, space and electroenergy

But we have fun, reduce stress, save on stress related medication, have a chance to meet and chat with nice people about our beloved weeds.

I love weekends...

Cheers

Irina

Got my first one (EverLove) at a show for $1. It's great. Does well on the windowsill. Blooms about 10 months of the year. Have added others since, mostly from traded leaves, are all are doing really well.
Optimara has pics of most if not all on their website.

Looks like some of us have different experiences with the Space babies.

My experience was that leaves give few babies and grow very slowly. The plants themselves--in my conditions--grow slowly but form perfectly symmetrical plants even though they have very wavy leaves.

For the most part I have been disbudding all of mine for show not to mess up symmetry. I can't say how long they bloom since I pinch the blooms for a huge showing in May.

I probably will not grow these plants for a long time mainly because I am a seller and you are not supposed to sell leaves or plantlets from any Optimara plant without having the tag that comes with legal ones. Since legally I could be prosecuted for selling patented plants I will not sell them; therefore, I won't grow them for show either.

I do have about six varieties of the space violets. But after this year's show will probably stop growing most of them.

Nancy

Hi:

I have three of them and I love the new Space Variety!
They are beautiful with the giant leaves and ever blooming
flowers. I hope to acquire somemore.

Thank You!

hi I have ever glory and ever praise. the former is a salmon color with green/gold edge.the latter is pale blue with a green edge. i picked them up for $5 ea on ebay.i've had them for 2 or 3 months and they've doubled in size since i've had them.they bloom profusely. i have them in a north facing window in self watering pots.i give them thumbs up!!

Dave

I know anything you want to know about them. Quick run down. Never get the leaves or crown wet. If u repot them, leave the crown high in the soil. Water nomore than once per week. Make sure the water is room temperature. Never let it sit in a saucer of water. Indirect light at room temperature is all they need. Cool thing is if u want to propagate. This plant cut portion of leaf place insoil and it will root. Very few plants will do this Gsneriads will.

Anyone know how I can get one of these ever blooming space violets to grow and bloom? I bought a plug many months ago it started growing until it got too much light. Even after I figured that out and tried it in other locations it sat around looking yellowish green for a long time. Now giving way less light and it's a little greener, but very little growth still. No buds.
Tricia