Austen's Love

Frosty Cherry

Iceberg

Cool Mint

Gotta go to work ...

Why would you want to restrict yourself. There's AV cousins (and a lot else) that offer color and fragrance beyond the AV spectrum. Don't close off your mind and ignore everything for favor of an indoor monoculture.

Strep 7046 (Garu)

Jasmine Sambac 'Maid of Orleans' Fragrance to DIE for...it's in my kitchen windowsill, where I smell it as I do dishes.

Optimara violets which are usually sold in home improvement stores, grocery stores, & numerous other places are outstanding violets with lovely flowers. These are the industrial strength type of plant developed to grow with ease. Many beginners learn the basics from starting with these hardy plants. Usually they come without names but can often be identified at the Optimara web & FB page. Terri

Unfortunately, AV's from the big box stores will often have thrips, which will ultimately ruin your blooming, unless you fight them.

Optimara violets are a great place to start. And the $2-4 price tag doesn't hurt too much when you kill one.

If you're looking for hardy continuous bloomers, look up some trailing varieties. I've only had problems with two out of a bunch of varieties, who died after I groomed them a bit too roughly, but the others are blooming away and growing happily....

Hi, Aegis, Your listing is great. I would like to print it as a reference for my AV club. We are having a meeting on "the basics." Many of the plants you mentioned can also be purchased from the original hybridizers or other vendors, so they have the benefit of not being hard to find, for most of them. Karin, It is possible to buy Optimaras straight from the company. They are generally large, in bloom, and no danger of thrips, and they come with tags, although they are more expensive than the $2 to $5 price tag in stores. Joanne

Go onto websites like www.lyndonlyon.com and www.fancy-bloomers.com and check out their varieties. I love seeing pictures... if i can't see a picture I don't usually order the plant because I'm new enough the descriptions don't mean much to me. :-) "hairy leaf"... huh? Aren't they ALL hairy?? QUILTED?? You mean they take a needle and thread to these things?? You've got to be kidding me! :-P

Best wishes on your venture! I would agree with dbarron... there are lots of variety in blooming house plants out there.. but I can understand just wanting to keep one kind of houseplant.. and not dive too deep at once.

Aegis1000, thank you so much for sharing and for the lovely photos! I just received my order from PJ's and am pleased with them. One lovely plant has had a bloom and full of buds! The issue is the 'color' looks different from the pictures of Orange Ness' Pekoe which is what I purchased. The shape of the bloom looks the same with yellow in the center but the color is purple? The color looks more like Rebel's Night Breezes (which is not blooming) but by the pictures on the net it resembles Night Breezes more. Rebel's is the second plant I received in this order. I have a self watering tray and pot, I got both to see which self watering system I'd like better. In my second order from PJ's I have Frosty Cherry, Blue Dragon and Rob's Humpty Doo semi mini trailer coming. I need to purchase more self watering pots and fresh soil. I'm looking to purchase more from PJ's and from other vendors. Thanks once again for sharing the list and for the insight! It helps a lot! For a future purchase I was looking into Okie Easter Bunny, is it an easy plant? I'm happy that I got the two of which you suggested for the beginners hand! I will definitely keep all of them in mind and I also have my sights on Iceberg! It did occur to me about my working outdoors and if there would be any reflection on AV's indoor plants, it seems that it can be a much bigger reflection than anticipated. I also tend to spend hours practically on a daily basis outdoor gardening. Someone suggested showering after coming in from the garden. I think I'd have to take many showers since I'm often in and out :)

Wow dbarron those are beautiful photos, taking notes, thanks very much!

terrilou and froeschli yes the more I hear about those stores and references the more excited I am! I have to Home Depots nearby and a Lowes which is a bit of a trek but I'm happy to make it! I'm just hoping they sell AV's. I have bought healthy wonderful plants from Home Depot before and I'm hoping they have AV's to add to my collection especially since they are easier. I wouldn't want them to have thrips though, are their any good products that remedy that?

shihtzu4su yes I actually plan on buying from Lyndon's they seem pretty reputable, and I'll check out fancybloomers as well, thanks!

Shhh, I admit I still buy from home improvement stores, but usually kill the plant if I leave it in the soil it comes in (most people have no problems).

As for thrips, since having them brought in once, I strip the flowers off and toss them in the store garbage bin. At home (in the kitchen, not the plant room) I chop the plant off at ground level and discard the soil. Remove a few rows of leaves to plant, rinse everything with warm(ish) water, then plant and isolate. (The chopping off is less because of bugs but my inability to water them properly).

So, considering these procedures, you can tell it's not worth buying anything I don't 100% love and am prepared to wait a few months for to bloom again.

Yes I am paranoid, but I have spent a fair deal of money on these plants now, and I'd rather not bring any pests in. "USUALLY fine" just doesn't cut it anymore. Even "reputable sources" can have issues. A friend of mine hates bloomlovers because she thinks she got all sorts of pests from her (but my friend doesn't isolate and gets plants from various other sources as well).

And I heard another local vendor mentioned she had bugs but wasn't going to spray until just before the sale (so the nice little eggs will hatch in their new homes).

Just to illustrate that you want to isolate everything, whether you chop them down or not. Trust the source or not....

I don't blame you being paranoid. Last time I got thrips, I could never get rid of them and they kept spoiling the blooms and distorting new growth. I ended up throwing pretty much everything away.

I strongly strongly encourage you to follow the above advice once you have at least a couple of plants insect-free and blooming well. Isolate any new arrivals well away (rooms away if possible) from your happy resident plants. Observe them closely for several weeks before even considering the idea of bringing them to join the others. Make sure you don't touch the new plants and go near the old ones without at least washing your hands. And I'm paranoid, I simply wouldn't water and care for the two sets of plants on the same day.

froeschli, Oh yes I can see taking the extra time for plants you love but in light of my circumstances the easier the better even if it costs a bit extra. I was never interested in gardening. I took it up about 6 years ago after my grandfather passed away which is another story. I finally established my garden with different perennials and annuals through trial and error. Well almost established them but I'm getting there :) Although I have a fair amount of room considering I currently live in a complex, however I battle the grounds keepers from blowing debris into my flower beds which ultimately costs me more work and becomes daunting. After battling them it's tapered off but I have to always keep my guard up. Besides that, I have different
feeding regimens and disease control for my roses to keep up which is scheduled since I have mixed plants to care for and over a dozen potted annuals. However, for a while now Iv'e been thinking of getting indoor plants
I had none until now. I'm absolutely loving the idea of having them all year
round too, it helps ward off the winter blues. When I first saw AV's and learned more about them I just knew these charming beauties is it! But at the same time I don't want to take on more than I can handle :)

dbarron thank you for the tips, you have all helped me a lot!

African Violet photos (cont'd) ...

Sansoucy Julie Marie

Irish Lullaby

Love in Bloom

Pow Wow

Pink Summit

Private Dancer

Red Rocket

Rebel's Night Breezes

Shazam

Snowy Skies

Karin, Great advice! I will stop wanting plants from BL now! I never got an email back, so I won't fret.

Fantastic photos, Aegis! Wow! A current Optimara offering is called Natalie. It is a little similar to Night Breezes, a lighter shade of purple and smaller blooms, but the interesting star shape bloom.

DBarron, Well, now, I must have "Jasmine Sambac 'Maid of Orleans' Fragrance to DIE for...it's in my kitchen windowsill, where I smell it as I do dishes."

Shihtzu4Su, It can be fun to figure out the AV lingo! Some leaves are fuzzier than others. The fuzzier ones attract a lot of cat hair (if you have cats). Quilted means they look like that! Puffy between the veins rather than flat between the veins. Joanne

Actually, I have my streps (for the winter only) in a south facing unshaded window..and they're quite happy. I'll move them to a east facing window quite soon though as the sun and heat increase here.

I can't imagine BL having a problem with AV pests.

She just sends out leaves and plugs (with no soil), ... so no thrips, no mealybugs, etc. I suppose there could be mites, but it's not likely.

I've purchased from Bloomlovers for years (easily more than 50 items) and have never had a problem.

I have gotten thrips and mites from mail-order plants, but they're much more likely to come in on more mature plants.

I don;t think that any of the sellers I've dealt with (at least a dozen) ... would KNOWINGLY send out infected stock, but sometimes things happen. I have, at times, purchased less available plants from less well-known sellers, ... and have had to discard the plants shortly after, so I've had to cull my supplier list to no more than a half-dozen trusted growers.

I still purchase from Bloom Lovers, Bloomin' Jungle, Lyndon Lyons, Jack's Violets, Pj's Violets, Bluebird Nurseries, and Fancy Bloomers. I've also gotten nice problem-free plants from Blueridge Country Baskets, CV Violetry, and a few others.

Annie from "All About African Violets" consistently recommended ONLY adding to your collection with LEAVES, but even she would get caught up at times and bring home plants from a convention.

I recently brought home a blooming Optimara Hiroshige from Walmart ... after swearing that I never would again. It's now sitting in the bathroom window,

Ultimately, it all comes down to due diligence ... choosing responsible suppliers, taking reasonable precautions (removing blossoms/buds), and ISOLATION, ISOLATION, ISOLATION.

I think my friend just needed someone to blame, and that lot fell to bloomlovers. but like I said, she gets plants from so many sources, and doesn't isolate, there's no way to tell where they really came from. All she knew for sure, or told me, was that the bugs appeared after convention. yes, bloomlovers sold plants there, but so did many other people....

When I had thrips, I just blamed myself....

Pests pass from plant to plant at a convention.

Annie basically tears her convention acquisitions apart before exposing them to her collection.

It can be hard to watch ....

dbarron may I ask where do you buy those AV cousins?

Lol, I actually bought mine from Ebay, because those are new Polish varieties that aren't readily available from the US. This lady must import them herself, she leaves the US I know. I believe her name on ebay is svetlana.
I think I would hazard a recommendation (based on friends, I haven't ordered yet myself from there), for Gary's Out of Africa. He carries some violets, some nice streps, and a few other genera. I have things that I'd like to order from him, but I've bought so much and my windowsills are full for now.
Some of the nicest plants(imo) are from Polish and Russian breeding, though it seems that many are larger than the American plants. That's good and bad, the flowers are huge, but the plants are semi-huge too. An american breeder is Rob at Rob's Violets, I believe he names his 'Bristol XYZ' and one of his goals is petiteness. I have 'Oriental Art' from him and it's smaller than a standard African Violet.

I have NEVER figured out why streps aren't as readily available and well known as AVs in the US.

Thank you for all the feedback, dbarren! How about this place for Jazmine S.? http://www.logees.com/jasmine-maid-of-orleans-jasminum-sambac-2inch.html

That's exactly what/where I bought..it'll probably come in bud, but don't expect much show till it's 2-3 times that size (6 months I'd say). They have quick flashes of growth followed by a rest period (very different from your african violets).

Sounds great, I had a long 6 months of cold anyway with no plants at all! And I'm loving that it has a fragrance!

Thanks for the tip on where to get Jasmine. Probably the proliferation of AVs has to do with the commercialization of AVs. There are probably more AV hybridizers than other gessoes, but that is just a guess. The main commercial vendors on line and in nurseries do offer streps and other gesneridas. The AV magazine does articles on them and many AV growers do also raise streps.

There is a growing tendency among AV growers to lean more and more toward growing minis. Maybe the streps take up more space than standard AVs and more than semi-minis or mnis. Just a guess. the general public is probably not as educated about streps as they are about AVs. There are probably more AV nurseries than streps.

I have grown mini's my self, but I have almost never saw anyone (locally) that had anything more exotic than a variegated foliage violet. No minis, no trailers. I realize that the more serious hobbyist is going to have more...but have things shifted mainline ? (haven't done AVs in about 10 years now..)

Lyndon Lyon's also has streps and Optimara. As to popularity, it may have been just a marketing thing. Evidently, it was AVs that caught the fancy of those who went on to develop the market.

Makes me wonder why, with all the unending species of orchids and crosses, the ones seen most often in stores are the phals, even in places where orchids are plentiful and grow easily.

Or why the purple violets outsell every other color. It is just what is marketed, what people get used to and what they know and consider as the standard.

I know why phals are seen. They're long lasting, tolerant of abuse (for an orchid), and easy to grow (culture and meri-stem), and can be mass cropped with the right temp control in two years or less (less I believe). If that weren't true, you wouldn't be seeing all those cheap orchids.

I did not know (and wouldn't have thought) that purple violets are more popular. I always preferred other colors.

The Holtkamps (Optimara), and a few others are really responsible for the AV habit in America. You see their happy little plants every time that you go to the grocery or big box store.

I used to cruise the Kroger food stores in the 80's for the latest AV offerings. I found some really nice plants that I haven't been able to replace.

There is an insightful discussion on why streps aren't as popular as AVs on the gesneriad forum. I think it is still on the first page. . . It's well worth checking out.

I'm pleased to see all the lovely Phals available now. Believe me, we orchid growers would have loved to see such plants & prices back when. It's also interesting that the Phal appears to be synonymous with the word orchid now, but years ago most of us started with Cattleya plants & some of us still prefer this type. Here is Cattleya Bob Betts blooming at this time.

That is a beautiful photo and orchid. Is that a strep next to it? The antique crocheted lace is lovely. on a shelf.

I just read the discussion on the gesneriad forum, very insightful comments, Terri.

Joanne

Joanne, The plant is a Primulina; I still want to call them Chirita. Looks like it needed water. This was probably "Blue Moon," which grew well & formed buds but they wouldn't open so I eliminated the plant. I've had better luck with Dyas 'Hysako' shown here. I hope I got the name correct . . . Just going from memory. This picture is from last December & it is blooming again.

Chiritas are a bit prickly to me, though I love the foliage (more than the flowers). I have (yes right name now) Primulina tamiana, which is a little weed species that I find terribly cute. Like most primulina's it flowers intermittently, and looks identical to a mini violet in form and foliage.

Aegis,

Leaves vs. plugs. I don't have a strong success rate with leaves that arrive in the mail. I heard Annie say to order leaves, so I did try.

Terri, I believe I have a similar crocheted piece. I like your Rex Begonia. Before I got into AVs in a large way, I grew Rex Begonias, or any begonias.

Both of your comments and sharing are delightful. And D Barron's.

Everything having to to with AVs seems complicated lately. It is complicated to order them across country.

The AV mag has been showing various gesneriads.

D Barron, if you have not tried to grow AVs for ten years, you might find that at the field had changed a lot. There is a great deal of diversity that many find fascinating.

If you have a local garden club in your area, you might stop by for a visit and bring in one or more of your plants to show and talk about. The sharing might interest you and others.

Do any of you know an Ebay seller "Plant Maniac". He has good reviews, but I'd still like to know more if possible. If anyone has bought from him, how are do his plants fare, any pest problems?

terrilou what a beautiful display! I would kill for a window area like that!!!! Rosie

All of the pix are gorgeous!!!! I do love sininngia and streps! As I said before,,,I am bugging Lowe's every time I go in for at least mini violets and Streps!!! Rosie

Just a last minute thought. What is the difference between a "plug" and a leaf that has babies attached to it? Thanks! Rosie

Usually a couple of months of growing, and separating the babies into a plug.

Ok thanks!!!! Rosie