"It's an amazing little plant. So cute. How many, in all do you have? If you don't mind me asking..." About 100-150 or so I think... All minis & semis. Tho, the semis are kinda "too big" for my liking so I am trying to "phase them out" of my collection :-p "Would a petitition, if 'x' amount of signitures were submitted to the ASVA, convince them renaming a 3" or smaller Av, a micro?" I dunno... Maybe... Maybe not. I'm new (less than a year) to the AVSA so I don't wanna "cause waves" :-p "M3, your camera really picks up detail. It displays each 'hair' per leaf. I don't know if it's the camera or your computer. I like that." Thanks but as I said when I posted that pic, my friend Jana took that one, not me. Jana's good tho. And I sorta taught Jana a bit of what I know. Good cameras help. But still, thanks--I do think I am a good photographer... You can see my pics in the gallery area of this forum. "What's the brown pieces/medium in your soil? Is it bark?" It's just the potting medium that all of Rob's plants come in. I bought this from his table at Tulsa Convention... But it's the same if you mail order from him. Kinda heavy stuff, I repot whatever I get from him immediately into a light mix (about 1/2 peat, 1/2 perlite) so I can get 'em on wick watering. "I'm baffled by the number of people who travel around the US hunting down AV's. Did you go to OK to AV shop or other reasons and happen to come upon a show?" I don't "travel around the US hunting down AV's" HAHAHAhahahahaha I went to Tulsa, OK in May because that was where the 62nd annual AVSA National Convention was being held. It's A BIG DEAL.... Not just the sales room with most of the biggest African Violet suppliers that are in biz, but meeting up with violet lovers from all over the world, with seminars & classes... Oh, and a BIG show. 2009's National Convention will be in Reno, NV... so I'll be going there for it :-p Mostly I just liked it for the people. I only bought 2 plants (which was pathetic compared to most of the frenzied shoppers at Convention as you might imagine LOL)

I am so glad you have much better luck with Rob's than I do hopefulauthor. I love the varieties that Rob has hybridized. But honestly, I don't think the conditions they provide in their greenhouses merit shipping anywhere in the world. I posted in a different thread, that in the last avm, Rob said that they have very alkaline water where they are, and that they use a fertilizer that works well with their water. He also says on his site that they leave the lights on 24 X 7. I order from Rob's because I like the plants, but let me tell you, they ship stressed, small violets. Violetbarn, is not what I would consider a good vendor for beginners at all. I last received 10 plants from them. 4 failed right away. The other 6 went into shock, which looks like overfertilizing, but I think that it's due to getting 6 hours of darkness each day after lights on 24 X 7 since their birth...(and perhaps because I have 6.5-6.9 water here in NJ.) They say they ship healthy plants, but are not responsible after they leave the green house. I personally think there are steps they could take, to help there violets survive once they leave the greenhouse. I love their violets, so perhaps you can understand that I am disappointed with the plants they ship. I always put down leaves when I get plants from them, because I can grow the ones I start myself with no problem. IMO the plants from lyndonlyon.com are much more adaptable, and they are bigger (and a tad more expensive.) I'm not sure I'll order from violetbarn again, it's starting to feel silly paying for plants, when I should be paying for leaves.

Linda, About the only difference is the size. So, as Dora suggests, you may have more of them on a shelf! The distance from light fixture to top of plant is also less than with standards. You can space your shelves closer together, too. Some recommend the distance for minis should be 6 to 8 inches from light to top of plant. Where as standards 12 or so inches. Also, it is recommended to repot more often than standards. Anywhere from 3 to 6 months. When you repot you usually stay with the same size pot - no need to move into a larger size. You may just use solo cups. Some say they are hard to work with. I guess because they are small. It's just what you get use to, I suppose. Arthritic hands may have problems? I do at times use forceps to take leaves off etc. My knuckle on occasion has broken the leaf above off while I'm trying to pinch a stem or flower off or check the soil. Hope you give them a try. Mac (Week two. One more to go! Maybe Valentines Day I'll have blooms.)

I have lots of rules but find them hard to put into words. I agree with your original comment, Suzy, that matching colors that are close is peculiarly taxing. I think I would get along with Masha's husband, as I also place vinous reds with pale warm colors. I don't like too many pale or too many powerful colors together: one is anemic; the other too heavy or too leaden. Like Aimeekitty I like little dashes or flecks of strong color in the middle of softer tones: wild poppies self-seeding in the garden are perfect, and surprisingly, their brilliant orange-red goes with nearly everything. White is not a universal peacemaker, but a color like any other. I don't like pure white, just as I dislike primary colors in the garden in general, finding them impossible to harmonize; but I like whites that are are tinted with parchment or honey or cream or lemon. The leap from white to strong colors is too great a one for me: I avoid white beside red, for example (though I will consider purple roses and white ones side by side). I dislike colors that I consider hard--certain shades of brown-tinted orange-red would fall in the category, also the primary colors--but otherwise like just about everything and think it can be used to good effect, whether rich and somber, or pale and soft, or brilliant and flashy. The art lies in putting the right colors together and in the correct proportions. Of course I like lots of soft blues and violets and lavenders in the garden: a rose that can't get along with them is hardly a rose at all; and I appreciated purple foliaged plants with roses as well, especially cool pink roses and red ones. Gray-green and steely and silvery foliage is also excellent with many roses, though that hardly needs to be said. And let me put in a word for acid and yellowy greens. A lot of times I just don't know what will work, and I'll take bits of two plants if I can and place them side by side. With babies or plants I've never seen in flower, or that aren't in flower when I need to plant them, I just do my best, which sometimes isn't good enough so that I end up moving things. Just throwing things together doesn't work for me: some combinations make me flinch, while others are joyful and exquisite, so that I have to think out colors. Verbal rules for color matching are almost always inadequate; I suppose a fine set of charts and knowing how to use them would get the color designer a long way. I love talking about color, Suzy, thanks for bringing the topic up. Melissa