Those are really pretty.especially the red one :) Velleta

Aha - plants are in good hands... and they are doing their best...

Wow! Beautiful! Orlando looks like a girl leaf and curly. The calif red is a nice bright color. Is it still cold where you are? I should have asked for advice or suggestions before I placed my leaf order! Next time, I'll order those! My leaves arrived today, in two days! No extra costs for winter shipping. Joanne

California is darker than shown (reds often photograph too light). The color is a rich saturated magenta-red.

Sort of a mixture of the two rightmost colors on the image below ...

Very nice plants! I keep telling myself no more Optimaras but I continue to sneak peeks at them. I did see the new version of Connecticut at the local nursery & the flower is very striking looking. I told myself no & went home. About ten days later, I "happened" to drop by the same place & all the Connecticuts were gone. Well, she who hesitates. . .

Lovely

Thanks for the advice and photo of California! The O website description does acknowledge the color of Calif is darker. I may have seen it sold locally. Sometimes, the first blooms on starter plants look very similar. It can take one or more bloom cycles for the blooms to develop.

Terri, I been leaning more towards Optimaras for their many advantages. It is difficult to resist a fresh violet in bloom at the stores when the ones at home are in between their bloom cycles. Joanne

Beautiful plants! There go two more onto my wish list!!!! Rosie

Hi Rosie,

Now is the time of year when you might start to see AVs appearing at your favorite stores for around $3 a pot! ! If that happens, when you see a large batch of diverse colors, the more rare will have just one or two. So if you like those colors, those would be the ones to focus on. Optimaras are a great product, the company has great marketing and customer support. The plants can tolerate casual care, they bloom a lot. If a plant dies, it can be replaced at stores or through mail order to the company. Optimara sells vintage varieties developed years ago, plus new varieties In reading their website, it seems they are very responsive to what people want and have a way to find out fast. Joanne

I keep watch but with only 2 places to shop for violets here,,,,pickin's are slim. It takes a lot of waiting to see violets "pop" up around here. But I keep watch every week. Walmart is the third place but boy their plant dept. is the pits. But thanks for the info! Rosie

Well, same here, there are just a couple of outlets close to home or work that have them. Other nurseries have more a little further out but require too much travel time. I mainly wanted to encourage you that they will be coming to your Lowe's or favorite stores in your area soon. There seem to be many newer selections that are quite pretty this year.

looking for AV's in Walmart is a waste of time.

The idea is - to find out when any of big box stores gets a new AV shipment. Then you have your pick. If you wait 10 days - they will look very poorly - because they are not going to be taken care of.

Looking for most of the stuff in WM is a waste of time. Produce is awful. But I like their laundry detergent - Persol - just right.

Thanks all!!!!! Except for WM, I am in Meijer and Lowe's once a week. If hey are gonna get them in I will know about it. There is so little I need WM for. AND their parking lot is terrible. The spaces are very narrow and the rows are far to close together. I only go there once in a great while. Usually in spring and summer because I go into the garden center entrance only but they keep it locked and I have to walk too far just to go check plants for winter time. Rosie

Yes, the parking in Meijers is really a turn-off, especially in this cold weather; but their variety is great and so are the prices.

As far as AV variety goes, they've come up with new ones quite often but once they've sold them they don't replace them. I got two bi-colors a couple of weeks ago that I hadn't seen before; now they're gone and not replaced.

Oh no,,,it is Walmart that has bad parking. Meijer is spacious and great! Lots of room. Boy I haven't seen a bi-color in ANY store for quite a long time!!!! But I keep looking. Rosie

Rosie, You probably will see some white with blue trim or white on the top petals with violet on the bottom this Spring. That is what is in the shops here now. Sometimes the Optimara website or their Facebook page gives details of what they are planning to send to all stores across the country this season. Every year, they send an assortment, some solids, some with two colors. This season, seems to be more whites and light colors. As I mentioned above, they are showing a lot of a new vibrant deep pink/fuschia color. They always have a few solid dark purples and a few of the medium pinks to contrast with the lighter, brighter spring colors. It sounds like it is still too cold in your area for your stores to start getting in plants. But it won't be long. Take heart. In the meantime, we have Aegis and AnneCecilia's eye candy to enjoy. Joanne

Well, Joanne I certainly hope so. I am so due to see spring colors! And yes,,,you are right. I so enjoy everyone's eye candy!!!! Rosie

Just checked out Lowe's...they only have one AV which is a combination of three common ones in one pot; nothing else at all.

Wow Leon,,,,thanks for the update! You sure do get up and go shopping early! I just made my first cup of coffee and my eyeballs haven't focused fully yet! Rosie

Rosie - there is no life before coffee... will finish my cuppa and go downstairs to do some repotting... clump separating...

I am with you Irina! The only thing I do before coffee is get that 4 month old puppy OUTSIDE for obvious reasons,,,,,then feet automatically head for coffee pot! No thinking involved. Rosie

Yup - I got the automatic coffee grinder - I do not even need to measure the scoops. It is sitting on 4 - which will be enough for 2 mugs - I press the button - it makes an awful noise - but in 15 seconds I am loading the coffee maker - and in 4 more minutes ... I can start my morning.

I went downstairs - and I needed to make more of my secret ingredient - worm tea. I add a small amount to the soil when I am potting my babies. While worm tea is brewing..means I poured some boiling water on worm castings - I can make more coffee. GRRR - says the Grinder... I do not like scalding the worm castings - but otherwise I get a fresh hatch of fungus gnats...

I.

We certainly have our routines! Yep I get it. One thing (if nothing else) my family gets down pat is,,,,,,DON'T MESS WITH HER UNTIL SHE HAS THAT CUP IN HER HANDS!!!!! If they need to say something before that, they better say it with that cup extended out to me. Otherwise,,,,,grrrrrrrr,,,bite bite and bite again! Rosie

Aha - and I am stuck on how my plants should be potted. If a friend of mine is helping me...it gives me willies... it is not ever right...

I went to another Lowe's across town. That one had a whole shelf of AV's, all without blooms and without labels, so it was impossible to tell what they were. So I had two choices : buy the unknown as a potential surprise or curse and leave . I chose the latter .

Lowe's get their stuff from Holtkamp greenhouses and they have a limited selection - they rotate their varieties every year. There is a good chance that you will get the same you already have - and it is a total waste - if you want 6 plants of the same variety - you know how to start them from a leaf.

Right now I checked ebay - and there is a seller who has sets of leaves.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/African-Violet-Leaves-15-STANDARD-LEAVES-My-Choice-Free-Shipping-/262249768660?hash=item3d0f4de6d4:g:HmgAAOSwpRRWnvej

This seller sends from LA - so it is warm on her side, and as long as it is warm enough where you live - I think it should be warm in the next several days - 15 different named varieties leaves for $20 - is good- shipping included. Best if your address is business or PO Box - then the parcel won't be sitting in a mailbox chilling.

Lowe's doesn't carry named plants. Time for you to take another challenge - and grow much more interesting plants yourself instead of buying run-of-the-mill. Plus - spring is coming - everything will be rooting and growing like there is no tomorrow. Another plus - it is much more fun to have your own propagation set and see how they are doing every day.

Irina I can't let anyone help me pot or tend my plants. Even when I go for a surgery I wake up and start to wonder if my plants are ok. I know what you mean. In fact,,,I have to start repotting plants and putting down leaves. Some of the violets are starting to develop small "necks". They have already bloomed from the bottom two rows so "tis the time"! And as you said, in spring everything does everything faster from rooting to blooming!

Every now and then Lowe's will have a white name tag in the plant. AND it usually is the correct name! I will buy that plant whether it is in bloom or not. If it is one I don't like I can take it back and get a full refund. This is how I got Opt. Evelyn, Opt. Ontario, Opt. Alice and a couple others! They even guarantee their clearance plants for one full year. Just so you know,,,I have never taken back a clearance plant. Usually because they grow. I have taken back full price plants that die for one reason or another and they usually are perennials.

I still think it is too cold to ship plants even if they do come from a warmer world than mine. I will wait. Our warm for the next several days won't hit out of the 20F!!!! Brrrrr. Makes me cold just thinking about it! Rosie

Irina, do you still have your friend or relative with you who grows AV? I would like help with plants from someone who knows AV so that is where a club comes in handy. Irina, is there an AVSA video in which you demonstrate some techniques? Joanne

Joanne -

no, I had a friend living with us for some time - but she moved out to be close to her son. She is actually coming for a visit today.

I never put any videos out, but I am sure if you search on youtube - there will be plenty,

If you have a specific question - just ask. I think between the active group here - we can always come up with some suggestions and pics if necessary. Now we all walk around with our cellphones and photograph every pancake we eat to post it on Facebook... it won't be a problem.

i.

I remember way back when lots of folks had AV's in their windowsills. Now there are no windowsills, and AV's are no longer so plentiful.

That makes getting leaves to root much more difficult.

Hi Leon! Well, yeah not many people have suitable windowsills but it does still work for me, but if you don't have them, try to put up a flourescent light over a table! The pix I have posted isn't mine. I can't remember where I got it, but since I have one (or more) of these old treadles I kept the pix so I can do it! It is a great idea if you want to be decorative.

Or you can put up a bakers shelf in a laundry room, or a spare bedroom etc and fit it with flourescent lights! And by the way, those lights will make your violets take off like gangbusters!!!!!

Go thru some of the older posts to see how others have them displayed! Necessity is the mother of invention!!!!! Good luck!!!!! Rosie

Hi Joanne and Rosie :

Yes, the leaves I've got at this time for rooting are from folks I visit who have the AV's for decoration. They were quite surprised when I asked for a leaf and were amused.

These are all common ones that came from Meijer. However, I figure it's a good way to begin; to develop a routine, etc. More attractive ones will come later, probably using EBay.

I intend to get a flourescent lamp soon.

I know we think of the ones from Meijer as "common". And I suppose they are when there is nothing else available. But check this out! I have one I got from Meijer or Lowe's (can't remember and am too lazy to go look at the tag) and there are semi double flowers on it at LEAST 2 inches across!!!!! Beautiful! I know it is an Optimara, that is what they both sell, but geeze those flowers are stupendous!!!!! (at least in my eyes!) Moral of the story?? One never knows what one may end up with! Rosie

I saw two in Lowes that were from Optimara, but they had no blooms so I don't know what they were. Lowes will probably update their stock in the Spring.

Usually when the violet at Lowe's has no bloom I will buy it anyway. I kinda know (because I go there so often to check violets) what is left anyway. And they mark them to $1 to $1.50 each on clearance. And yes,,,,I buy enough at reg. price but there is just something about "rescuing" a violet! It is a sickness,,,I can't help myself!!!!!!!!! lol Rosie

I am a big fan of Optimara violets. I buy them on clearance, with or without blooms. I have ordered some of the vintage, limited edition ones directly from Selective Gardener. I feel the same about rescuing as you do. Rosie. Optimara has some very beautiful violets, and they are dependable, easy to grow and resilient. I don't consider them "common" at all. As a matter of fact, I am not particularly fond of "designer" violets that are too fluffy or frilly, can't hold up their heads, or sport into something else at the next bloom cycle. Just my own preference, and I am not asking anybody to agree with me.