My all-time favorite is Orchard's Bumble Magnet. It grows very symmetrically, blooms profusely when disbudded, propagates easily, and stays a nice small mini.

I have also been very impressed with Rob's Boolaroo, which is a s/m trailer. It too blooms very profusely, and has a nice growing habit. It has been in bloom for about 4 months now.

Barbara

I'm partial to EverGrace from Optimara's EverFloris line of "space babies." It's a standard with amazing bloom coloration of white and lavender with a green edge. Simply amazing.

The Alps. Love this chimera, so easy, so floriferous.

Could you folks also post photos of your favorite violets, please? Being "off road" like me, seeing photos is my dream.

Thank you.

Here's my EverGrace.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:378160}}

Optimara's website has many nice AVs, but unfortunately they do not ship oversea. :(

I do not know about Optimaras. They are great strong healthy plants - but just not enough pizzazz for me. There are some really festive - but most of them are not the queens. (I know that Xuan can grow them to look like queens)

I just found a site of a Japanese grower. This lady grows great chimeras. Some are avalable here - The Alps, Concord, Yukako - but some - never made it to States.

Aren't they great?

Enjoy

Irina

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:378161}}

My favorites this year has been Jersey Snow Drops and Jersey Snow Flakes.
Check them out on the link below.
Fred in NJ

Here is a link that might be useful: Flickr

Oops - wanted to post all chimeras - got The Alps only

Here is a link that might be useful: more chimeras

Fred - thank you for the pleasure!

We hope to get some leaves from you in 2011.

irina

My favorite is Granger's Red & White standard chimera. It is very much like the Alps, easy to grow and floriferous.

Dave

Buckeye Love's Caress seems to be my most dependable bloomer and has lovely foliage too. I have a soft spot for all the chimeras so I hope to grow my collection of them.

I am new to the forum. Tried AVs many years ago and overwatered them to death. About a year ago I started with a couple.... then a few more.... then the AVS magazine. OCD took over and I have over 100 not counting leaves in baggies.

Fred, thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. I have Yukako (x2) but neither has bloomed yet. I also like the idea of using a medicine bottle for a reservoir.

This unknown plant of mine...purchased in Lowe's some time ago....no one else in this city carried African Violets...
and Lowe's did a terrible job of taking care of them...
anyway....this unknow plant just started to bloom about a week or so ago..........and it now has 50 blossoms! Maybe more....I stopped counting at 50....and there are more unopened yet....alot more....I do not know what I am doing right this time. I tried to grown them years ago and couldn't master the right conditions........I have at least three others in bloom and some with buds, too........I only have room for a few dozen plants...and am well on my way to get there..........growing 'babies', etc..

This has to be my favorite violet, but I do not know the name.............

BonBon since your plant came from Lowe's have you tried looking at the Optimara site? I just this past weekend picked up a AV at Lowes and the pot had a sticker telling me to go to a web link to ID my plant. Turned out it's Optimara Mellinnia. Gorgeous flowers!
I hope this site will help you if it by chance is a Optimara plant.,,,,Debbie

Here is a link that might be useful: Optimara ID site

Millennia ;-))

Deb - you are an optimist. There are so many similar varieties! But you are right - if the pot has Optimara sticker - it is the place to go.

If the Lowe's plant has a sticker "Product of Canada" - it comes from Harster greenhouses - and some of their varieties are pretty close to Optimaras - and recently they removed their identification option.

Irina

My all time favorites are Harbor Blue (standard) and Ness' Crinkle Blue (semi mini)
Irina - thanks for posting the link to the chimeras - I was blown away by the pictures of Concord. I have grown that plant for years and it has never bloomed any where near that profusely for me! Yikes! that one is gorgeous. My Concord pretty much just sits there most of the time and once in a while sends up a bloom.
Lynn

Among my favorites is Falling Snow, a semi-mini trailer with light green foliage and single white flowers. Nothing fancy, but it flowered *all the time*. It was never without masses of pretty little blooms.

*sigh* My html fu fails. Here's the addy of a picture. Copy & paste.

http://www.avsa.org/Photographs/FallingSnowLrg.jpg#http://../Photographs/FallingSnowLrg.jpg#

Korina

Korina,
I just picked up Falling Snow a few weeks ago. Hasn't bloomed yet. There were a few buds when I got it but I picked all those off and repotted/isolated.

Looking forward to being able to see the blooms.

Dora

Lynn -

we were judging our Show - and one of the ladies brought Concord - I argued to give it the Best Chimera - it was very good - plus it is not the easiest plant to grow. I started it twice - and lost it both times.

It would definitely be my choice plant if I would figure how to grow it ;0((

Irina

Irina thank you for bringing to my attention my mispelling Millennia. Oops!
My Lowe's violet did indeed have a Optimara sticker guiding me to the site above to ID my plant.
There were some bigger pots of violets there too but they had no stickers that guided to the website. Said they were grown at Holtkamp Nursery in TN. I think that was the name. So I wasn't sure if they were Optimara or not so didn't buy them. One looked like Rosalie (coral pink and white) and the other was a fantasy type with a dark edge. I didn't find that one described on the info site. They have a fantasy but don't describe a dark edge on it.
The Millennia also said it was grown at this TN. nursery but also had the Optimara sticker. Mixed me up good and fine! haha. Or are they one and the same?,,,Debbie

Debbie -

sorry for being such a pest - I misspell everything - old age I guess.

There are hundreds of different old Optimaras on their main site.

Provided that they only have in production the ones from the site you found - we can identify varieties that are sold in big box stores today.

I wouldn't try to identify older NOIDs using this site - even it was initially an Optimara - it can be as well one they do not grow right now - and old descriptions on their site are so poor...

Plus - the plants sport - out of the big box of Millennias - there would be several almost all red with just a bit of white - and vice versa.

The sorry thing that until several years ago they had names in each pot. The problem - if i am not mistaken - is that their stuff not always can read English well and the tags were mixed all the time.

Bad news for the control freaks who want to know the names...

I.

Here's my new favorite violet. It's Kilauea, a pink with purple fantasy chimera pansy. Just got it in today and it's a beauty.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:378162}}

Now....now, Irina :)
not all people who want to know names are control freaks....LOL

Debbie - the Holtkamp in TN is Optimara.

All these new plants that are everyone's favs.....

(listen to my chanting.....)
Discernment......
Discernment......
Discernment......

Dora

I know I already posted a "favorite" but have to say that today my favorite is Princess K'Rei. A combination of a chimera and a thumbprint- white, single stars painted with a carnation pink thumbprint, which is adorned with a blue(more like lavender) center stripe, Gorgeous! The standard foliage is medium green and heavily quilted. I have not had it very long but am loving it. The blooms take several days to open and seem to change daily.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Mary

LMBO,
You seem to have discovered what the rest of us already know.....there is no such thing as "one" favorite....

:)
Dora

yes Dora, I am an addict :- ) an africanvioletholic-and proud of it.

I was hoping the two I just bought would be delivered today, but alas, I must wait till Friday, which is probably good since I have to move a "few" violets off the dining room table to make room for my kids and grandkids tomorrow.

Oh yeah, today's favorite is always subject to change.

:) Mary

I'd like to get in on this. My favorites are Frozen In Time (had over 350+ blooms when I repoted), Alamo's Gold Rush, and my newest is Rhapsody In White (beatiful,Large,White blooms 2 3/4 inches across).