Good link! I downloaded it and I want to print it out and give it with every violet I give away! Nothin like learning more about your favorite hobby. ;-)

I do have Kent and Joyce's book... and it is the book that made it possible for me to succeed with violets! My MIL gave me 15 leaves... and they all died. So she gave me this book. ("Here ya go, dummie... you might need some help." lol.) No, she didn't say that... I just chuckle to myself when I remember how promptly I killed them and how easy they actually are when you know some key, simple facts about them.

Anyhow - thanks for sharing.

It is a nice little pamphlet and I felt it showed some things more clearly than many other references. The price is really good too :) I'm glad you liked it.

That was really nice of your MIL. Of course you had to read the book so you did your part. There are so many approaches that will work; it's just finding one. I was an AVSA member for many years so I imagine I absorbed a lot from the magazines, I'm sure. I also bought many violet books but some of them weren't so great. When I looked at the current offerings, it appeared as though things hadn't changed. My mom was an AVSA member and raised violets too so I probably had some idea of what to do (no shows around us though).

It's great to have an endorsement for the Stork's book. I do have it in ebook form but since they neglected to murder anyone, I don't seem to have gotten too far. I have read Joyce's Q&A sections and her FB answers and it's the AVSA book (and the only ebook) so I try to mention it. I would expect it to be good.

I believe mom liked Helen Van Pelt Wilson (one of the later versions) while I followed one of Montague Free's books (sort of ).

Diana in PA

I especially liked the visual guides in the pamphlet.. I think I can better describe my violets now, and better understand the descriptions on websites such as Lyondon Lyons. :-) I had seen the link for the pamphlet on the Optimara website but neglected to click on it since I figured it was probably another silly free thing that was useless. My bad! I'm glad that you posted about it here. :-)

Helen Van Pelt Wilson? Hmm.. never heard of her. gonna have to look that up. :-)

After years of looking at line drawings of leaf types, I found those those photos very nice. The blossom type descriptions were helpful too. You aren't the only one who struggles and, sometimes, vendors use terms that are not used or accepted by the AVSA. So we are kind of, "What do they mean by that?" It may not be only Lyon's but that's who I remember too. I suppose they are trying to tell us what it looks like because I often find the photo underwhelming.

I just love this sharing and your telling us about your experiences!!! for me, violets were a guilty pleasure, they did not seem too practical to anyone. it really makes a difference if someone in your family fosters your interest. i even see it now, when people visit my plant room. they usually end up wanting to take home a little souvenir. so i understand that i had to give myself permission, so others have to, also.

You might find this interesting. It is a free sample of Chatter, the newsletter of the African Violet Society of Canada. I could only find the new issue on Facebook and I find this very awkward but maybe it's me. I know I enjoyed the old free issue. Here it is:

https://www.facebook.com/avscchatter?ref=br_tf%C2%A0

Diana in PA

Grrr, I was going to join the gesneriad society, and maybe the (more) local av society, and now I'll have to join avsc just to get to read this issue on hybridizing!!!!!

Karin

Click on the photos on the left and you can read the magazine. They've chosen it as the free sample.

Diana

Hmmm, I thought it was just showing the index.... As in "you could read about all this cool stuff, if only you paid the yearly membership".

I'll check it again when I am awake....

Wonderful info and sharing, Diana and Karin! Su, Helen van Pelt Wilson was a garden writer from a long time ago. She had a way with words. Her book on African Violets was a classic form back when there were very few such books. However, the primary value of her book today would be mostly historical. A lot of the information has been updated to suit more recent developments in the way we grow violets. Most of the ames of the violets in her book are no longer available. If you like to read, then you might find this classic at one of the on line shops.

Karin,
It seemed like one page did just show the index (or just parts) but the other had the whole newsletter once you clicked on it. On that page, click on the photos and make Facebook full page. It works okay, not exactly my favorite method. Lauren Whitaker from Maryland (and Violet Voice) has an article in it. I haven't read it yet but it does look like there's some good stuff in there.

Can we make a Facebook page for people who hate Facebook ? ;)

Joanne,

There were numerous versions of Helen Van Pelt Wilson's book. They kept updating it. The one I borrow in ebook form from openlibrary.org (free!) is the first one - 1948. Yes, it's very old but it's interesting. They have a second version there and I don't like that one.

To give a little perspective on this book, there were no variegated violets (at least not stable ones in production), no stick-tites, no double pinks, at least no registered or widely known stars and everyone wanted violets!

Montague Free's book (1949 although it was also updated a number of times) is less chatty but he was a horticulturist at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and his book has b/w photos which makes them contemporary vs. the charming yet less useful drawings in the Van Pelt Wilson book. A slightly later version of his book had tinted drawings and I let it go. Should have kept it, I guess. However, they are available quite reasonably as these were book club books.

AND, on a current note, I forgot "Grow to Show" by Pauline Bartholomew. I don't have a copy now but I keep seeing it recommended and I remember working with it (never even tried to show) so I do believe there's good info in that one. It has been updated from my old one too. I remember she showed you how they growed in 3's and which to remove and I about went nuts. However when "Annie" on the podcasts was doing it, I knew which to take off so I guess I learned something there.

(I think maybe my problem is that they only kind of grow in threes. When they come up, you get two. I believe my idea would have been you'd get three, then three, etc. and that would have been far easier to grasp. :) I daresay my system might produce a strange plant though. Easy groomer.

Diana in PA

"Can we make a Facebook page for people who hate Facebook ? ;)"

lovely idea!!!

ok, theres a "sample edition" and then there is the one i want to read... so i have two options - see if the library stocks issues of "chatter" or buy a membership before june... decisions decisions ;)

karin

So the sample edition doesn't include everything? What is missing?

Diana

I had the same reaction when I read that the violet leaves grow in threes in "Growing to Show." In all my years of growing violets, I had never paid that close attention. Then when Annie showed, it was much more clear. Her podcasts are great. When I first joined the Forum, many people and Annie were strongly urging people to get the book, "growing to show." I like books a lot, so I got it along with several others.

I remember in the late 70's reading the print off the pages with all of the Helen Van Pelt Wilson's books, I loved her botanical drawings and her writer's style. Montague was more of a scientist. At the time, I lived near an Agricultural College and had neighbors who attended. Most of the "cheat sheets" for any type of plant were usually very technical descriptions of crosses with no photos at all we have certainly come a long way in the span of a few "short" decades, from the '70's 'til now. (I went on to be a gardening writer for a while, but it was seasonal work, just an extra little side job. By then, we used photos. I still like botanical art, there is a place for it.

"Growing to show " has basic info, not just for showing. The magazine promotes it, so maybe they get a portion of sales. It is good to have as a reference. But in your case, you probably on't need it unless you enjoy collecting books. Joanne

I think it must have been "Growing to Show" that taught me which leaves to remove. When Annie was doing it, I said "That one and that one..." and I was right so I'd learned somewhere along the line.

Again, though, I don't have it now and didn't have the new version. I think it had a trailer section too.

Montague Free was less chatty and definitely never tried to decorate as much as HVPW.

I enjoy botanical art too. Maybe I will try to find the edition of his book with the tinted drawings. I find the old lists of "best plants" that are long gone fascinating. In some of the later books, I remember them.

Diana in PA

An article from a magazine from 2005 by Jeff Smith said that violets are relatively new, as a species, per their DNA, and are still evolving. He went on to explain how sports happen and that the plant is more studied than most. So we are more aware of sports and take note of them than with other plants.

Joanne

I thought I'd bump this and add a couple of links.

This is an old Optimara grower's guide from 2010. It shows why Optimaras may show up at various nurseries without tags in all kinds of pots (see how many ways they can buy the plants).

http://www.optimara.com/LRGrowerCat2010.pdf

It also helped me identify my "Not Chico" as Optimara Maine! There it was on the photo sheet! That flat blossom whose petals are barely separated and that almost looks like a chimera. That's it!

Okay, the photo of "my" Maine is in this one:

http://catalog.optimara.com/grower_2015/growers/assets/downloads/optimara_grower_catalog_2014-15.pdf

Frankly, I think the color of Dali is closer to true in the older one.

Also, here is the link to Violet Barn's instructions for doing blossom stem propagation, useful for chimeras and some fantasies:

http://www.violetbarn.com/lessons/blossom_stems.htm

It works for me.

Diana in PA

Thanks Diana!

I'll read through those for sure!

I have a line on the newest chatter magazine (the issue on hybridizing) and some other great material... i'll let you know once i have it :-)

Karin

Thanks, Karen. The free one was quite good (species).

Diana