Mike ...

I've got lots of pinks ... AND lots of blues.

Go buy your mother a nice Optimara.

I have lot's of blues myself . You are reading my mind , I was thinking about running down to Lowe's and picking up an Optimara for her . The "NO PINK" was supposed to be a joke , I am just not crazy about pink flowers .

This post was edited by Phillip44 on Thu, Aug 15, 13 at 11:40

Phillip, 'Pretty N' Pink' is a beauty. Is PNP the violet's true name or did you make it up as a joke?

Whichever, it sure is pretty and pink...

Are you going to keep it? lol..

Hopeful , that was the name that was on the label when I received them in the mail . I am going to keep it and purchase my Mother an Optimara from a local big box store .

Phillip,, there you go. :)

Does your mom collect plants? Will she notice the difference? lol

Funny you're speaking of Optimara plant. Optimara has/d two plants I wanted. Isabelle and Annebelle.
I went to their site, but wanted to talk to someone before ordering..in case they were out of stock. Didn't want substitutes.
No reply.
I then went to GardenWatchdog..sent an email via GWD.
A reply came fast..but, the woman said she was on vacation, and would have her co-worker contact me within the week. That was 3? weeks ago.
Well, Optimara lost a customer.

Good luck, with your AV. Toni

Mom doesn't collect , she loves houseplants and wants to try her hand at AVs' .

but are they really ... "blues"

and ... "yellows"

I decided I cannot afford to get hooked on AVs.

I'm out of space.

Hmmm .... there aren't 'quite' as many chimeras ...

And I loval all the Russian, Ukranian, Polska stuff ...

I'm a sucker, born every minute.

dave

Toni ,

I too have my eye on an Optimara , one from their state series . I want the Kentucky . If you are looking for Optimara plants have you tried http://www.selectivegardener.com ? They have both the Annabelle and Isabelle .

Phillip...your lucky your mom likes plants. My mother HATED plants, wouldn't allow them in the house.
My father didn't like the scent of flowers. He said they reminded him of a funeral home.
I think he meant Easter Lily.

Dave...Polska AV's? Really? I've heard of Chimeras and Russian violets, but never heard or saw Uk and Polskas.

One day, I would like to get a Chimera...the type w/flowers that look like spinning wheels.

I do not have space either. My Motto: There's room for one more. :)

Phillip...When you go to Optimara's webite, then click on Order, it takes you to Selective Gardener.
SG were the folks I emailed. Twice. Still haven't heard a word.

You want Ky. I want Belles.
How many violets are in the Ky series?
Are you planning on ordering from SG?
Please do me a favor, if possible. If you ever get hold of these people please let me know.

The reason I didn't order Belles via SG...can't recall if I read or heard if SG doesn't have the violet ordered, they substitute. I do not want substitues.
That's why I emailed in the first place.

If you don't mind substitutes, 'if Ky is unavailable,' you can order through SG's site.

Good luck, Toni

Toni , Thanks for the tip . I order Optimara soil and ferts from SG but not plants . And I agree , I want what I order too .

I hate substitutions , it would be like ordering a horror novel on Amazon and they send me a cook book instead , because a book is a book ! This happened on another site (an Amazon competitor), I ordered a movie , they were out of stock so they sent me a completely different movie , and in Spanish to boot .

The Kentucky is one of their "State series" . It has deep blue flowers .

Toni,
My mother had the same feelings about flowers. Hers wasn't Easter Lily; it was Hyacinths! Hyacinths have a wonderful scent but I was never allowed to have one. Fortunately, my Dad was a plant nerd so I received this gift of an appreciation of flowers from him.

Linda

Polska => Poland

^ _ *

dkb

Phillip. I'd be so angry. I enjoy horror books/movies..if they sent a cooking show/book in another language to boot, they'd get a call yesterday.

I can't believe someone would do that to you. Was it a legit company? Of all things! When I buy books, I want the book I ordered, not a novel 'x' company assumed I'd enjoy reading.

Same applies to plants..plus, they'd probably send a plant I have...and I sure don't want duplicates.

Whenever I order, I write, in the Additional Information Bow, 'Please, No substitutes'..even if the company vows they don't.
Sometimes, online nurseries ask the customer to add additional plants in case they're out of stock. I do not fill in those blanks. I want the plant/s I want, otherwise I'll find another nursery.

Are deep blue flowers, true blue or purple?

Linda...thank goodness for your dad. :)
Hyancinths smell wonderful.
I guess some prefer one scent to another.

So, you get your love of plants on your dads side.

Dkb. I know what Polska means, lol. I meant I never saw or heard of a Polish violet.
My brothers wife and her parents are from Poland. They visit yearly. It's too bad they couldn't bring plants back. :)

Interesting, I've ordered a number of leaves and plants from Poland with no issues.

Perhaps the purveyor appropriated the proper permits and proliferation of Polish paperwork ...

*he said with intuitive alliteration*

Dave

I buy my Russian varieties from a Polish woman. Everything takes about a week to get here, (Ohio) and her plants/leaves are always very healthy and well-packed. She is a delight to buy from.

Linda

Afternoon All,

Dave, too funny. Six P's in one sentence. Very good.
Got little sleep last night, so can't think up a come back.
Too tired to think this afternoon..Thoughtless theories. I will ponder thoughts throughout the day. If I can't think up a retort later today, hopefully something will come To mind tomorrow, Tuesday or Thursday. Thanks, Toni :)

Dave, how does one find plants/leaves from other countries?
I have bought plants, via Ebay, 'not violets' from Thailand, and seeds from Australia.

Sellers did the paperwork/certicate.

BTW, my brother's MIL, somehow brought plant from Poland to the states.

{{gwi:95878}}

Actually, the plant in the pic is a cutting from her plant..She gave me a 7" cutting, 1994.
It took years to ID, but concluded it's a Pandanus species.

Linda. How interesting. Does she sell plants other than violets?
It's frustraing! Other countries plants are so rare and beautiful, but in many cases cannot be shipped here.

A man who lives in Germany sold two, 4", very rare Crassula/Jade cuttings to a friend. US$ 175.00!

Guess you have to know people. :)

Toni: ebay search on samaronsander

she sells leaves/plants. sometimes sends a gift one, unless that is the norm in this hobby/passion/addiction/obsession/endeavor/money-sucking thing to do ...

dave

Samaronsander is who I buy from. I think she also sells streps. Her plants are always healthy.
Yes, Dave, including extras is a usual practice in this hobby/passion/addiction/obsession/endeavor/money-sucking thing. It is to lure you even further in this hobby/passion/addiction/obsession/endeavor/money-sucking thing by tempting you to buy from them rather than another. I have noticed it seems to be more common with US growers than with those from Europe. I recently bought from Blue Mountain Violets on E Bay. He included several leaves in addition to the beautiful blooming plants I bought.

Linda

P.S. Dave, in the future we should make sure we are not bidding against each other!

Dave,

Another thought: if you really want a hobby/passion/addiction/obsession/endeavor/money-sucking hobby, try orchids...As my Grandmother would say"...too late smart."

Linda

Morning Everyone,

Dave, although I've been an Ebay'er, 13-years, I still don't know how to find a seller by name.

Do you type in a sellers name in the search box? I tried doing that before. All sorts of odds & ends popped up. lol.

The two violets I want are Optimara Belle series. Does the Polish lady sell Optimara plants?

Since it's been years rooting leaves, don't know if I can get them to root.
I'll see how the 'freebie' leaves do.

Too bad there aren't fragrant violets? Or are there? Toni

Toni,

I agree with you-E Bay needs to make searching sellers easier. In the meantime, here is an URL for an item she is selling-http://www.ebay.com/itm/121159982723?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649. Once you find her you can check out her other items and save her to your favorites.

African violets produce no scent. Scents in flowers are an aid to attracting pollinators, along with color and shape. Flowers that are bee pollinated tend to smell sweet as that is what attracts bees. Plants that are pollinated by flies will often smell like rotting flesh. If a particular flower species does not contain the genetics for scent, it will never produce scent. If the scent is a recessive gene, it may be made to express itself through hybridizing. I have never read anywhere what the natural pollinator of violets is, but given their propensity to throw suckers and the ease of rooting leaves, I would guess that violets are not particularly reliant on pollinators and therefore, have no need for scent.
The same holds for the elusive 'yellow' violet. African violets do not contain the pigments that produce yellow/orange coloring. The pigment anthocyanins is responsible for blue coloring while carotenoids give flowers their red, yellow and orange coloring. If I remember my plant biology correctly, violets do not contain the carotenoid lutien (yellow) or the carotenoid carotene (orange). Therefore, we will continue to dance around the yellow color until someone figures out a way to introduce these pigments into a violet's genetics.

Biology lesson for today. And you all wonder why my family goes comatose when I talk plants...

Linda

P,S, Don't bid against me!!!

Linda: uh, have orchids too. But only one of each type, to see which will grow for me ... catt ...phal ...pot ...even gotta flask from fla I am trying. AVs are much nicer looking, as orchids are unwieldily and take up precious space under the skylights better left for AVs

how do I know its you on ebay, I guess I'll have to email you. my 'rating' is 288. what is yours, 86? 147?

dave

Dave,

I have to agree with you about orchids. It is a lot of work tending to a plant that only blooms for you once a year. And they're not especially attractive when out of bloom. But, still, I persist. I have mostly Paphs and Phrags and a few Habenarias. I would like to try Draculas but I have enough frustration in my life right now.

In 2007 I was invited to be a student judge at the Tokyo International Orchid Show which is the largest in the world. It was quite an experience and, except for the twelve hour plane ride, a lot of fun. And I only took 714 pictures!

Linda

Good Morning, All,

Linda, you sure know a LOT about plants' biology.

I was aware bees pollinated, but not flies. Ironic.
Would you happen to know which plants they prefer?

Funny you should mention flies.

Although it's the wrong time of year, yesterday I spent several hours repotting indoor plants, outside.

I lifted three plants off a table, Pachypodiums.
Anyway, after lifting the third plant, I found several maggots living underneath, nearest the drainage hole. Yuck..Gross..Disgusting.

I wondered why there have been so many flies in the yard.
Do you think plants are attracting these creatures?

We have Trumpet Vine, 'don't bother buying this plant, it's way too invasive,' which attracts flies. However, I 'assumed' it coincidence.

I've been summering indoor plants outside 20+-yrs, but there's never been vast amounts of flies. Ever. Ants, yes, but not flies.

I wondered about 'yellow' violets..Same with blues. There are 'true' blue flowers, but most are purple, labeled blue.
Very few plants, of all types, have actual blue flowers.
I do not consider purple, blue, I get upset when a violet or any other plant is called blue when it's purple. :)

Linda, thanks for the url. Guess I copy and paste on browser? For some reason the address didn't show as a clickable link. Thanks, I'll have to check this woman's plants.

Some people find sellers in seconds. Wish I knew their secret. lol.

Linda, at least you have a family, even if you drive them up the wall talking about plants..Consider youself blessed.

Dave...I too have a few, basic Orchids. One Dendrobium blooms 4-5 times a year..Or use to. It's been in the same, wooden basket since 1998.
I ordered the next size up, or so I thought. Baskets only come in even sizes..I wanted 5" but no dice. I ordered a 6" and it's huge. 5 young orchids will fit in this pot. lol.
Which I might end up doing.

We'd best make sure we don't bid against each other. :)
Dave, my rating is 361.

Toni,
Your dendrobium needs re-potting. Just like violets, they need fresh material in which to grow. You can reuse the same pot if your 6' is too large.

For a reason I have never figured out, light purple is called blue in flower descriptions. The only reason I can figure for this is that it distinguishes from dark purple.

Cut and paste on your browser. If you can't find her, let me know. (Don't bid against me!)

Lots of things are pollinators: bees, flies, moths, wasps, hummingbirds and sometimes, inadvertently, people, dogs, cats, deer, etc. Plants of lower morphology are wind-pollinated. Pollination by a living organism is a relatively recent occurrence on the evolutionary scale.

I am not familiar with Pachypodium's pollinator so I found this cool You Tube video. It's just 32 seconds; check it out.

Usually anything that is pollinated by flies smells so horrible that they are not used as houseplants or even close-to-your-house outdoor plants. There are a few orchids that are grown that have a bad odor that people grow but just a few.

I think the reason there are so many flies, mosquitoes and other nasties this year is the mild winter we had last year. It rarely went below 40 degrees and that is not cold enough to kill off the insects. Mosquitoes this year are horrible here. You live in the same general area as I do so I am wondering if you had the same winter we did. As much as I hate to say it, we need a cold winter to give us a nice summer next year.

Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) is hummingbird pollinated.

Monday's biology lesson finished.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Pachypodium