About african violets
African violets are a favorite perrenial houseplant in many homes. I have two african violets in hand-painted
terra-cotta pots. One blooms profusely with light pink flowers; the other is purple. Although they are said to
be a little finicky, I've had good luck with them and have had mine nearly ten years. Provided with the right light,
temperature, and water, they should bloom most of the year.
Varieties and colors
Hybrids and named varieties have leaves that are plain or scalloped; green or varigated; flowers are purple,
white, violet, burgandy, or bi-colored.
African violets prefer soil that is rich in acids, and require watering that makes the soil moist but not soggy.
Water from the bottom up. If you water from the top, avoid getting water on the leaves and flowers. And let
the soil dry out before watering again. I've had luck watering thoroughly once a week. Every two weeks,
I add a liquid fertilizer formulated for african violets.
Proper lighting and temperature is important to the successful production of flowers. African violets prefer
indirect light and average home temperatures of 60-70 degrees. A window sill or area in the home that has an
eastern or northern exposure seems to provide the right amount of filtered light that african violets crave. When
I had mine in a window box that faced west, it was too much sun and caused the leaves to get sickly with
blotchy yellow spots. They were happy again once I moved them to an area receiving indirect light. African
violets also like humidity. One way you can achieve this is to set the plants on a saucer filled with wet gravel.