Ohhhhhh a Rhapsodie! And a beauty!!!! I remember when they became available! Oh I miss them! Rosie

Rosie, that blue one that you got is probably a Rhapsody or a Space Violet. The Rhapsody's are still available. The Rhapsodies, years ago, seemed to be the first big major improvement. Now, there are many lovely Optimara's available. By the way, I can't find the thread where you asked about the name of that blue one. I believe Diana thought it was most likely Manitoba when I had it and asked her, I believe I posted a photo. that was going back a while. As for Ingrid, I really wanted to send for it because it never appeared in stores. But I never did, as something else caught my eye but did not perform as well as I hoped. Sometimes, the Optimara photos looks better than the actual plant itself. Some people like various series, such as the Optimara Romance series. (Not me.) I like variegated leaves. I was just now able to get Optimara Modesty. I had it and lost it and just got one at a sale where it was privately grown. That is, not in the usual Optimara pot and mix, so it grew even better in better quality potting mix. Modesty is also not the usual Optimara style. The leaves are larger, looser and the plant more fragile than the standard Optimara's that Karen refers to as "industrial strength" violets. The violet that I gave away today as an Easter gift to a lunch guest is the same color as Modesty, but with larger blooms and solid green leaves. I made the mistake of telling the guest that it has a name, so, of course, I will drive myself nuts trying to figure out which subtle shade of bright, deep blue-purple it is? I gave her a choice, I find most people want their very first violet to be solid blue-purple. Violets are violet, right?