If you can grow an African violet successfully without getting the urge to start a collection, you ought to be psychoanalyzed. You’re different!”
We normal people. start with one lone saintpaulia, but six months later we have a dozen sturdy plants, which we proudly rooted in water. After a year, the house begins to look strangely small. We’ve swapped, rooted, divided and bought new varieties as soon as they came out.
As we start clearing the toolshelf along the cellar stairway, which gets optimum African violet light from a nearby window, someone stamps down a foot and hands down an ultimatum. When this happens, there’s nothing left to do (if you don’t want to leave home) but keep a few hundred of your favorites and give away the rest – to other normal people like yourself.
I faced this crisis not too long ago! The difficulty was not parting with some African violets but deciding which ones to keep. After long mental turmoil, I clung to these favorites among the newer African violets:
SNOW PRINCE, was white seedling, 1950, had a generous number of large sparkling snowy blossoms with rounded petals. These are carried on well branched stems above light green heart-shaped leaves of flat growth. I couldn’t part with PURITY – the first pure white. It is free-blooming even when small and has apple-green plain-type foliage.
Although the older PINK BEAUTY with its many blossoms is still high on my list, the neW TINARI’S PINK LUSTER – the color of a baby’s shell-pink ear – is already deeply entrenched among my favorites. Usually pink and white varieties have anemic looking foliage. But not this one – The strong, dark green leaves with bronzy tone are pointed and a trifle cupped and quilted. Blossoming is free and easy-15 or more flowers on a stem.
Among the so-called reds – red only in comparison to the blue purples – there are several I couldn’t do without. First, SARABAND, a Ballerina type which is an improvement of the Fringette strain. Red-lavender would best describe it. Miniature sequins seem to sparkle on the freshly opened blossoms and the undulant foliage has a comfortable, relaxed appearance.
WINE VELVET has a more prissy starched look with its stiff, dark green. pointed leaf. Flowers do not drop but fade right on the plant, which may or may not be an asset depending upon whether you like to pick your blossoms off the plant or off the floor.
Among the African violets described as wine red I like Velvet Girl, Ruby Bouquet, Helen Wilson Bouquet. Rain how Geneva and Tinari’s Mammoth Red. VELVET GIRL is a slow grower, as is typical of the girl varieties. (Lest someone think both a girl and boy arc necessary for hybridizing, let me say this refers to leaf type not sex. Each African violet flower contains both sexes.) The two upper petals of Velvet Girl are garnet red while the three lower petals have a lavender-red tone. The girl leaves have a lighter green center.
The clear ruby wine of RUBY BOUQUET gives it the distinction of being the most intense “red” of the doubles. Leaves are of the boy type and quite light green for a “red.” HELEN WILSON BOUQUET has small “pompon” type double flowers of wine color. It is the only one of the Bouquet group with girl foliage. In fact, the foliage is more attractive than the flower – my favorite girl foliage after that of Ruffled Beauty. The young leaves are lustrous dark green with a light center which has eight veins radiating from it like white outstretched fingers. As the leaf ages, it takes on a distinct blush around the white center and on the back of the leaf. The compact plants are just the right size and shape to grow in a teacup. Another newcomer, little SUGAR PLUM GIRL, has the white edge of Lady Geneva but this time it rims a plum-colored flower – a plum with a sugar coating – on a plant with girl foliage.
Undisputed for the title of largest wine red is Th MAMMOTH RED with large oval leaves. A lavender on the red side describes RUMED BEAUTY’S plump viola-like face. The two upper petals are a darker shade. This one has my favorite girl leaves of any plant I have. They look all spruced up in pink and lace as if ready for a little girl’s party.
There are still many blues in my collection, TINARI’S Arm:Rico has clear blue blossoms with crimped edges, six or more to a stem. The mammoth type leaves are crisp and heavily notched. I have never experienced any difficulty “With LADY GENEVA’S so-called temperament. To me she is a serene lady, indeed, always looking her best with a trim white border on her lovely blue dress.
Miss LIBERTY’S deep purple white-edged blossoms are held high above the heavily crimped girl foliage.
For a distinctly different flower shape, STAR SAPPHIRE is tops. H you can imagine a small purple starfish 1-1/2 inches across with a double yellow stamen in the center you’ll have a picture of it. (You’ll see it in full color in a lovely setting on FLOWER GROWER’S cover, next month.)
Whenever I see LACY GIRL. I think of newly set pin curls, for that’s what she has all around the edge of her dark blue blossom. The foliage is strong and somewhat waved.
BLUE HEIRESS has large blue twinkling flowers with scalloped duPont girl foliage of deep green. Sprightly FANCY FRANCES has dark blue pansy blossoms often with more than the usual five petals. The girl type foliage has an unusual form – toward the end of the leaf the serrations smooth out in a blunt arrowhead.
Among the double-flowered true blues, GRAND AWARD, new for 1952, stands Out as a stately prince in royal purple. The flowers are very large for doubles. Pio inches across. and the foliage is heavy but pliant. Three cheers, too, for NAVY. BOUQUET with its deep blue flower and strong. crinkled foliage. The DARK BLUE DOUBLE FRINGETTE is royal blue and heavily fringed. Both these last two have red on the undersides of the leaves.
On the lighter side, the delicate blue of AURORA. new for 1952, is blended with white. The slightly fringed single flowers are carried on reddish purple stems. Foliage is a strong. green and somewhat waved. SAILOR GIRT. is an older favorite – light blue with girl type foliage.
And seeing double again – there’s MARINE Bouourr, vivid light blue and very much in evidence with its numerous flowers. BRUSSELS SPROUTS stays with me because it is such a good conversation piece. not for its beauty. The blossoms really look like Brussels sprouts turned purple with cold and the foliage hasn’t quite made up it mind whether to be stiff and unrelenting or relaxed and friendly. You can’t blame it – imagine being a flower that looks like a vegetable!
The new DELIGHT. RAINBOW has clusters of large double medium blue flowers and dark green glistening leaves which are of a distinct heart shape.
Another double I couldn’t part with is AZURE BEAUTY, white with light blue shading on the center of the petals. The heart-shaped foliage is quilted dark green satin.
Dancing MINUET, a Ballerina type, has large single flowers of light mauve with wavy edges. PAINTED GIRL, 1952. is the reverse of Lady Geneva – white petals with a purple edge. Some flowers are more deeply bordered than others. The scalloped girl foliage is slightly cupped.
Twinkling BLUE-EYED BEAUTY has a white blossom with blue chalk center around the yellow stamen. The new BLUE DELIGHT changes from blue at the edge of the petals to white. then to blue again at center. Foliage is pale green.
So, these are the favorites that stayed with me – that is in their entirety. Before all tile other ohl favorites were carried away by grateful recipients. I surreptitiously pinched a leaf off each one. They’ve already rooted in water. Maybe next time I clear off that toolshelf I’ll have better luck!
by R Peters – 61220
