It's a semi for me, if it's Mac's Virtually Velvet, variegated. I love its leaf patterns.
Enjoy!
Carol

Thanks so much for the amazingly quick reply! That makes my day. Another question though... how large across does this variety get? It is roughly 6 inches now, will get any larger? And yeah, this plant is stunning!

Also on the size note, Mac's Just Jeff is a Miniature not a semi ;-)

Really? Thanks for the info. I had no idea. I was planning on repotting it when my pots came in, now I won't use the pot for the semi's that I was planning on.
Cool two mini's!

HI Frazled,
I copied all the descriptions from FC2 except for Crystal blue which is not listed or registered. As for pot size, I grow and show all my minis and semis in 3oz plastic solo cups. Minis should not exceed 6 inches across and semis no larger than 8.

Crystal blue, Soft blue, semidouble stars, have a warm yellow eye. Ruffled flower petals help to make this one a real charmer! The semiminiature foliage is variegated with rose and ivory

Smitten Kitten (9956) 03/22/2008 (Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses/S. Sorano) Semidouble lavender pansy/purple eye. Variegated dark green, white and pink, heart-shaped, girl foliage. Miniature

Mac's Just Jeff (9478) 09/29/2005 (G. McDonald) Semidouble coral red pansy/variable darker fantasy. Mosaic variegated medium green, white and variable pink, plain, scalloped. Miniature

Mac's Virtually Velvet (8754) 08/31/1998 (G. McDonald) Semidouble coral red/blue overlay. Variegated green, pink and white, ovate, serrated. Semiminiature (DAVS 1492)

Fred in NJ

Thank you for the detailed descriptions. That does explain why I was having such a hard time finding any information on Crystal Blue. I had just assumed that Smitten Kitten was an older hybrid than that. Goes to show that a pretty hybrid sells. Thanks again to everyone.

The size across can be misleading. Some are a little larger than others. I don't grow those plants you mention, so I can't say about them, but most times when I repot my mini/semi I take off the lower leaves to keep the plant smaller in size. I don't know how long you have had the plants, but you could wait a couple weeks for the plants to get over their postal travel shock before you repot them. tish

I have had some of them for several months now, but the one's that I was asking about here for only a month or so. I thought it was important to re-pot them soon because they all have necks and are growing roots out of it. It looks strange, I didn't even know that Av's would do that.
You are not causing the plant any harm if you don't allow it to grow larger. Sorry, I'll explain better... is it okay to grow a semi in the same size pot as a mini and pretty much treat it as a mini? Or does this create a weak plant?
I really will stop asking questions soon. I followed a some advice and have "Growing to Show" coming in with the pots. Thank you all very much for the your willingness to answer my questions.

Growing to Show is one of the best books on the market that gives you good sound advice on growing. The title of the book puts people off a bit but it's a book that I have recommended to everone who wants to have a volume to refer to. I have been using it for years and have all three versions which are very similar.
I grow all my semis and minis in 3oz plastic Solo cups. I even show them in them. It saves a lot of time and energy to grow in disposable cups. No washing or scrubbing for me any more at least not for mini and semi pots.
Fred in NJ

frazzle,
Stop apologizing for asking questions - its the mode with which we all can share our love of these plants. If there were no questions, what would we talk about here?

You actually are making us happy :)
Dora

Okay, but I will be asking a lot of questions in the coming months, years... so please don't get annoyed.
"Growing to Show" was extremely recommended everywhere that I looked for a book. I read some of the chapter listings, it looks like the book goes through everything.
Some bad news on my Virtually Velvet, it looks like it may have thrips. One of the blossoms is distorted and there are small white flecks on the flowers. There isn't any pollen on the petals, but I would feel better dis-budding and using something. Neem oil does work on thrips, right? If it isn't thrips and its just dust and a damaged flower will the neem oil hurt the plant at all?
Who am I kidding with the months, years...it only takes days!

If you have thrips (speaking from experience here), you need to remove flowers/buds/blooms from EVERY SINGLE VIOLET that you have and keep them off for at least 4-6 weeks.

Neem oil works and so do a few other things - there was a huge thread a few months back about thrips and Nancy posted some solutions (she has written a book about pest of the AV's)

The main thing is to remove all blooms to remove the food source for the thrips and you have to keep watching for the baby buds peeping up from underneath leaves.

Dora

If you aren't sure that you have thrips, gently blow on the blossom and if the specks move you have them. Neem oil works on thrips providing that you disbud and spray for three weeks at one week intervals and keep them disbudded thorughout the process.
Fred in NJ

Thank you. I blew on the leaves and have also looked at them through my cutie's glasses, and it is dust. Nothing has moved, the specks are in the same place every day. I feel a lot better, losing those blossoms would have been depressing.
Good to know that neem oil works just as well as a more dangerous chemicals. One of my sweet cats takes it out on the plants if he doesn't get enough attention, so I am leery about chemicals.

I too do not like to use chemicals inside the house. Neem oil as far as I know is a natural preventative that comes from the neem tree. It has a little odor but to my nose it isn't offensive. I feel safe using it and have even sprayed it on my hands with no problem. It's the only thing I use to spray. The other preventative I use is a systemic called Marathon and although it is a chemical preparation, it's granular which I scratch into the top of the soil and then water it in.
Fred in NJ

What is a systemic? Do you use that even when you do not have bugs? I have heard of Marathon, but have never seen it in a store by me.
Neem oil smells like peanut butter to me, odd but not offensive. The cats don't like it though:)

A systemic pesticide is one that is taken up into the plant through the root system. The entire plant is then toxic to the pest that bites or pierces the tissue, IF the pest is sensitive to that particular pesticide.

Not all systemic pesticides are toxic to all pests, so it is important to know what you are trying to control, and what pesticide will control that pest.

Marathon is generally not available in 'stores', or at least I've never heard/seen it be so. You can purchase it online, on e-bay, Cape Cod Violetry, etc. The active ingredient, imidacloprid, can also be found in some of the stuff you will find at the garden center. Read the ingredients list to determine its presence.

Barbara

So would one of the systemic pesticides work best as a preventive before there are pests or after? I don't mean to come across as dense, but thrips are a problem for me here. I grow my plants by windows that I open come spring for air flow, a preventative would be nice.
The last time that I grew violets one of them ended up getting a virus. Lucky for me nothing else did.