Oakley - you can see - we are all hoarders! The one exception - is Larry - Minimac gave you a link that show his shelves in a living room. I would say it is a perfect arrangement - you can grow and see your plants at the same time. And Larry refuses to get more plants than he can comfortably grow well and enjoy. I would say - it is a great addition to the room. I would add a top guards on the shelves- so then you do not see the tubes themselves. Irina

So ... you're looking to give your plants 10-12 hours of sunlight ... or fluorescent light or LED light ... per day. I keep my plants blooming with a combination of window light and fluorescent light. You can use cheap desk-lamps with CFL or LED bulbs. The light source (and/or window) should be no more than 1 foot away from your plants. P.S. To start a new thread, select the appropriate discussion category (in this case, African Violets) and start a new question/comment ... Desk-lamp CFL bulb

Hi Judy, From Lyndon Lyon's, or LLG, I get consistently large plants, often in bloom, in 2 1/2 in square pots in a good potting mix that does not have to be changed for at least six months. They come with plastic stakes that have the plant name printed on them so I can move them when I repot. The plants grow rapidly and do not sucker. The company has excellent customer service and ships promptly. For me, it is worth it to pay slightly more to get consistently larger, premium quality plants. For all the trouble of ordering live plant material across country, I want to get the best I can for my money. They have good quality control and accurately label the plants. They are my first choice. I only go elsewhere if there is something I want that they don't carry. They also keep their web catalogue updated, so if they are out of stock, they won't list the item. So, no surprises and no substitutions. They usually have enough of a particular type to choose from. For example, they will offer five different reds or five different whites or more. Their own hybrids are exceptional, vigorous and strong. I primarily raise Lyon 's own hybrids. They also have a wide selection of many other hybridizers. They are a large enough company to be able to introduce new hybridizers. They first opened up the Russian market and offer a wide range. They seem to pick the best choices of other hybridizers, so if they offer a plant , I feel it has been preselected for good performance. If something is new in the plant world, chances are they developed it. They are consistent in what they offer, it is usually possible to find the same plant year after year, plus new ones. I like to be a loyal customer and give them my business. They have been at this for sixty years, I appreciate they are still in this business. I feel they are excellent, so why not do business with them? When I place an order with them, I already know what to expect, so I can safely order a dozen. But they will accept an order of any size. When I want to try out a new grower, I place a small order. Usually, about four. Joanne This post was edited by fortyseven on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 10:56

Hi, Debbie. I've gotten most of my violets on ebay and except for one vendor, I've been very happy with the results. My two favorites are: BLUFFORD -- his violets are a nice size and ready to be potted on to 4 inch pots. He combines shipping. PJs VIOLETS -- her plants are already in 4 inch pots. Both these vendors show you the picture of the actual plant you will be getting. Sometimes the auctions can go quite high, but I've been noticing that lately a good number of the plants have been going for the $4.95 starting price. Best, Grace