violets! Flaming, African and otherwise - Orchid Board

DirtyCoconuts · #1 06-30-2021, 03:33 PM

So this is a short and somewhat amusing story that led me to this love of these fun and fuzzy plants.

WW included a nice chunk of what I THOUGHT was an african violet, i asked the name and forgot and then moved on with my life.

the plant was this amazing (current photo below) Flaming violet and i was really interested in finding more. so i started a quest for African Violets. this led me to violet barn and a few local nurseries into trialing violets and then i waited and waited and nothing was doing what this first plant was doing.

I asked WW and was told, ya dummy, those are not AV they are Episcia....

so i found a few on etsy and now i have a decent set of fun colors and they are growing well....and i accidentally have a nice AV collection now too LOL

so what aV's and episcias do yall have?

WW's gift

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

this is NOT a variegated variety but it is now....how does that happen?

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

---------- Post added at 02:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 PM ----------

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

i LOVE the dots on this one

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

every flower on this is different...awesome

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

estación seca · #2 06-30-2021, 04:38 PM

I have a few gesneriads, but not those genera. I've read and been told African violets (genus Saintpaulia) don't survive in warm, low-humidity homes. Violet fanciers here lose them all the time. Episcias are supposed to be even less tolerant of heat. Maybe you're succeeding because it's so humid there.

DirtyCoconuts · #3 06-30-2021, 05:01 PM

i have been very known to fail my way right into happy plants through neglect, dumb luck and humidity

Mountaineer370 · #4 06-30-2021, 06:30 PM

All very nice-looking plants, but I have to say that episcia in the first picture is gorgeous!

Several years ago, a good friend was moving cross-country and giving away her houseplants. I took the African violets. There were three of them, all NoID, but nice-looking and seemed healthy. I almost lost one for reasons I couldn't narrow down, but maybe the humidity in my house was too low. Anyway, I saved a few good leaves from it, rooted them, and now that one plant is three.

You've reminded me that I had been thinking of making an order from the Violet Barn last winter but wanted to wait for better weather for shipping. (Well, maybe now it's going to be too hot.) Just a couple of minis, maybe. I can probably squeeze them in somewhere.