From our multi-talented WereBear:
Some shots of my African violets, which are like the indoor version of roses. Need extra care, bloom abundantly, lots of colors.
I have no idea what their names are. It was a “get them in little pots, all different.” I got six.
Indoors is the right environment for them. I think anyone who is willing to devote a bit of time will have success. Because they’re not difficult.
They’re just fussy :)
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Send moar photos, jackals!…
What’s going on in your garden (indoor / retrospective / planning), this week?
War for Ukraine Day 1,004: Holodomor Memorial Day
Jeffg166
One plant I never had any luck with. Almost instant dead was their fate when I tried them.
Garden clean up for the winter is underway. I am creating larger covers of dead leaves and assorted stems about a foot thick to help mulch scrubs for the winter.
Also starting to put the wild columbines, foxgloves and annual poppy plants into the ground.
Bought an 18 pound bag of organic bulb food. I had it in the dinning room but had to move it to the back of the house. I could smell it sitting in the living room.
That should be enough fertilizer to do the fall and spring feeding of the bulbs.
WereBear
I am standing by for a while in case anyone has any questions, because this:
Is definitely discouraging!
satby
Very pretty WereBear! My grandmother always had African violets no matter where she lived.
In my garden, after a bout of near freezing temperatures I can finally cut back the canna growth and pull the tubers, because today and tomorrow it will zoom into the 50°s. Also have to prune back my roses hard before hauling the potted ones into the garage for winter.
I have one tomato still going strong in a mini greenhouse on the south side of the house, just to see how long it lasts. There’s 5 green tomatoes on it. After tomorrow it’s going to be cold weather going into December, so I’m not expecting that to last more than another week anyway since it’s passive solar heated and we haven’t seen sun for days.
satby
Heading out in a few minutes for a 7 am breakfast with a friend. Should be fun to catch up. Everyone have a nice day.
Baud
@WereBear:
Very nice flowers.
WereBear
This recent move was about downsizing, for all kinds of good reasons. Making physical products was still plagued with shipping problems, going and coming, and took expensive room. So letting our commercial space go and switching to content creation was the answer.
It brought down our expenses and freed up the time I would need. And, unless a person orders an autographed book (click my nym) or the paperback version, instant gratification.
Under the new plan, we each get a study. He paints and gets the biggest room, while I write and get the smallest. While I only have one window, it is the best one for my purposes. It’s perfect for African Violets.
Light needs to be indirect, but bright and of lasting duration. Grow lights are supplemental, but can work anywhere. Needs humidity, but so do humans. (Dry air in winter will keep our germ fighting membranes, like inside the nose, work harder than they should.)
Non-toxic to cats, people, dogs, and horses. The fuzzy leaves do not appeal to the cats, but then I grow wheat grass for them (Yours & Mine) and grow spider plants as companions and decoys, as they are also non-toxic.
Spider plants love the same conditions as African Violets and the cats prefer to eat them. You know, if they want to make a point about the shabby state of the current wheatgrass. (I ordered another box! It’s coming! Here’s some butter lettuce!)
Self watering pots are great for African Violets, and I highly recommend. But they will overwater the spider plants. Just take the wick out and use the same pots.
Liminal Owl
@WereBear: Thank you for the lovely flowers!
I have never been able to nurture any plants adequately and wouldn’t think of trying African violets. But I love looking at them.
WereBear
@satby: There’s always fried green tomatoes. But… don’t use the recipe at the Whistle Stop Cafe…
After some success and periodic deer disasters, I’ve concentrated on indoor gardening. I can’t bring bulbs indoors because of the cats, so there goes begonias. I once used a terrarium for miniature roses, successfully, but that’s more room and investment than I want to commit right now.
I successfully grew them for a few years, when I had an office with the right light for them. I always remembered they had the same fuss/reward ratio as my mini roses.
The grow lights now are so energy efficient and compact. Early winter here is DARK. That cats and I could use sunlight on such days.
WereBear
@Liminal Owl: I feel the same way about quilting and embroidery.
Houseplants and cats and baking. That was my “domestic trifecta” of actual skills I managed to put together.
Everything else is filed under “don’t complain, do it yourself.” I AM doing my best. It’s not my field.
stinger
Pretty pretty pretty! My grandmother always had an African violet. My mother didn’t do indoor plants, but had a huge vegetable garden. (Huge in that my dad plowed it for her every spring with his field tractor.) Post college, I had a ton of indoor plants until, in my early 30s, I moved to my farm home. Then there was so much outdoor vegetation to attend to, I quickly downsized all the houseplants. I only tried African violets briefly, with no success. Probably overwatering, but by then I had all the Great Outdoors to nurture and enjoy.
Kay
@WereBear:
My sense would be African Violets like dry soil because of the fleshy leaves and stems – do you keep them on the dry side?
WereBear
@Baud: Thank you, they have certainly expanded the varieties available.
WereBear
@Kay: No, the native environment is more Seattle than succulent. And they need fuss with the watering, as water will make the leaves curl up and discover.
They want London Fog and Tahiti Temperatures. Which is why I like the wicking pots, which lets them sip when they want.
Also, a very light, mixed, soil with lots of drainage. Their root ball looks like a geranium or pansy. Susceptible to rot when they get too wet, can’t feed if they are too dry.
But if we get them set up right, we can run them on a routine. I enjoy the deadheading and fussing that roses need, but this is on a much smaller scale.
With, I must admit, faster repeats.
WereBear
They are from the Tanzanian rain forest. That’s NOT the average home environment, which is too dry and dim. Or the nurturing but unaware, who interpret their struggling plant as thirsty, instead of unable to get enough air.
Then they are often repotted into a pot that is too big (they like tight pants) and using stock potting dirt (smothers their roots) and in direct sun, where they crisp like Christopher Lee at dawn.
On the higher maintenance side, but not really daunting, either. I know orchid people.
JPL
@WereBear: The colors are beautiful and the flowers must bring you a certain amount of happiness. Good job!
kalakal
Lovely photographs. My mother always grew African Violets wherever we lived so I’ve always grown some in her memory.
Outside we have a cold front passing through, hasn’t really rained since Milton, so having to water stuff.
Spanky
@WereBear: Your flower photos need moar cats!
Spanky
@WereBear:
Hmmm! That might solve our problem with Wheezer.
Kay
@WereBear:
Thanks. Not what I would have guessed.
zhena gogolia
@WereBear: Not an African violet question (they’re gorgeous!). But my poor husband is depressed because a poinsettia plant that he’s kept alive since Dec. 2021 seems to be dying. He thinks he killed it by overwatering, but there are two others that he waters just the same, and they’re alive. I am the worst gardener on the planet, but I think it’s just come to its natural end. Is there any way to revive it?
Princess
My mother had a wonderful collection of African violets. Then my sister and her friend decided to play mudpies without going outside. She gave up after that.
stinger
@zhena gogolia: I don’t think they live forever. That’s longer than I ever managed to keep one alive. I’d just buy one or two of the pretty new varieties and thank this one for so many years of enjoyment before composting it.
eclare
Such pretty photos! I would love to have some, but the way my house is set up next to my neighbor’s, I don’t get any sun during the winter.
WereBear
@zhena gogolia: Is it dropping leaves? Reliable sign of no return.
And tell him he’s done marvelously. They really need rest cycles and seasonal changes, which is very difficult to give indoors.
WereBear
@Princess: augh
Poor mom.
AM in NC
So so pretty! My collection of African violets is just coming into re-bloom now. I am especially excited to see the one I grew from a leaf cutting (which was a first for me) sending up buds! I inherited a couple of violets (including the Mother plant for the leaf cutting) when my mom died two years ago, and I am so happy to be tending them.
I’ve always had great luck with violets for some reason. I plant them in violet pots so they get steady water from the bottom; fertilize maybe once a month (and sometimes not that often because I forget) with a liquid fertilizer, and keep them in bright, indirect light. They used to be by my kitchen sink, so got natural humidity there. Now that we moved, they are grouped with other plants that I set on trays of pebbles and water, as a natural humidifier.
They are so cheery. And purple is my favorite color, so these are a no-brainer for me to grow.
Thanks, Mama!!!!
JeanneT
My dad took up African violets after my mom passed away. SHE had always focused on the outdoor landscaping, but he found a lot of satisfaction in keeping a dozen violets in bloom, and starting them from cuttings to give away to others. I received my share of new plants, but was only able to keep them alive for a season. Maybe now I’m an elder I should try again!
zhena gogolia
@stinger:
@WereBear: Thank you so much! He is grateful for your kind words.
WereBear
@AM in NC: Excellent example of having the care dialed in! Once we know what they want, we can give it to them consistently.
WereBear
One thing about both African Violets and roses is the cloned propagation.
We never lose the plant. It’s only one bit of the whole big thing, which lives on.
And can be the same gift reborn.
Gvg
mmy cats get into all plants indoors. I think they are bored a bit and young. I am trying to give them more distractions but I never wanted to bother with house plants much anyway. This year I would like to overwinter some hard to find double impatiens. I am thinking of getting some cheap Craigslist birdcages to grow plants in. I know impatiens are tasty and full of juice. My parent tortoise years back used to love the flowers of the doubles.We finally got some sudden cold weather. In the 30’s at night this week 60’s in the day so I am not that anxious to get up and go out. Arthritis hurts from the change and I need to winterize the mower. This is early. Normally doesn’t get this cold till January. Most thanksgivings are still shorts weather. Oh well.
Gvg
@zhena gogolia: If there is a healthy looking shoot, he can cut it off, stick it in rooting powder and moist potting soil, and try to root a new plant. Look up how on the web if you want. Mainly, keep moist and mist the air around it. Even if you bring it back, it’s always a good idea to make a backup copy of any plant you especially love.
One of the great things about passing along copies to other people is that they become a resource you can ask for a piece back if some disease or pest hits your yard (once the plague has passed).
p.a.
Has Florida required African Violets be removed from seed catalogues?
sab
This is an exciting thread for me. I had lots of houseplants for years, until I married a cat guy. We are in a house now where there is space for plants, but we have seven cats. I love african violets.
zhena gogolia
@Gvg: Thanks!
narya
My mom has always had some African violets around. She doesn’t fuss with them much, and still they grow like weeds! I had one for awhile–one of hers, maybe–but I kilt it. I wish I could give away some of my spiders and my aloe–I have four pots of aloe and a half dozen spiders, and they could all stand to be thinned out.
Kristine
Beautiful violets.
I had three for a few years—two purples and a pink. Loved the wintertime color. But the lack of light, dryness, maybe how I treated them, gradually did them in. I miss them.
I’ve brought my bonsai ficus indoors for the winter along with the gerbera daisy triplets. My other indoor plants are a philodendron, a dish of succulents, a prayer plant that could use a few, and a palm that came in a dish garden and is now a garden all by itself. I want to split it up but I’ve read indoor palms don’t like to be repotted.
Glidwrith
@Kristine: What is a dish garden? And there’s a palm tree small enough to be indoors?
Kristine
@Glidwrith: Dish gardens are collections of indoor plants sold by florists. Here’s an example.
At one time, I had three kalanchoe, the palm, the prayer plant, a few philodendrons, and I don’t recall what else. I still have the palm and the prayer plant. Maybe my philodendron started life in a dish—I can’t recall. I felt obligated to keep everything going until I finally just gave up. Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to give dish gardens as gifts.
My palm is an indoor variety called a parlor palm. I’ve had it for years—it’s reached the point where it blooms regularly. Teeny yellow flowers.
WereBear
@Kristine: Like so much florist stuff, no one cares if they live. So they aren’t designed to even have the same care needs among the plants.
NutmegAgain
Yours are lovely, both plants and pictures. My mother had an obsession with African violets–special window, special container that held the pots, and of course … special instructions. She shared those instructions any time she was gone for more than a day or two. For decades. My unasked-for advice is keep hanging on to your lovely plants, but don’t be like my mother!
trollhattan
Chatting once with a Quebecoise woman I knew, African violets came up in the conversation and given her accent, she told me some folks hear it as ah, frickin’ violets when she says it. Got a good laugh out of that.
Have generally had good luck with them but like that gift orchid plant, after some lengthy period one day they just up and die despite my doing nothing new or different. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
TerryC
I want to immodestly share with y’all that my wife and I are being honored as Washtenaw County’s (MI) 2024 Tree Conservationists of the Year.
Some of you know that we have been planting trees and removing invasives (rose, honeysuckle, grape, autumn olive and so many more) from 17.5 acres. We have planted more than 17,000 trees since I retired ten years ago, mostly on land that had ordinary crop rotation on it until 2002 (tough soil). Things like 500 each of Native Plum, Native Persimmon and Native Hazelnut; as well as thousands of hardwoods
It has turned out well and is all in the shape of two 18-hole disc golf courses laid out so that when we no longer can keep them up they go wild in several pieces. We let one piece – 9 holes – go wild this year. By the time we receive the award at a dinner in January I hope to be able to share an overall report here on our ten years’ of nurturing.
AM in NC
@TerryC: What a wonderful project you and your wife have undertaken!!!! Thank you for doing it. A thousand thank yous!
Looking forward to your report in January.
MCat
WereBear, gorgeous pictures. You have inspired me. I’m going to get some African violets. And I think they will be happy in front of one of my windows. Thanks so much your tips on helping them thrive.
Shana
@WereBear: I may be too late but here’s my question, with a little background: I have 7 african violets in african violet pots. They haven’t died and seem healthy but rarely flower. What can I do to promote flowering?
TerryC
My paternal grandma always had African violets but in a tiny bathroom that always had the shades closed. I had always figured them for low light plants given that hers never got any light but thrived?
WereBear
@TerryC: Congrats and well-deserved.