Actually it is easier to grow standards on the windowsills. Semis and especially minis IMHO should be grown under the lights to get the real umpph out of them. They do not have the bulk of the standards to adapt to the less than favorable conditions of the window - with a variable light, low humidity, drafts etc.

You look at the yummy pics on vendors sites - and each of these plants is grown under fluorescents.

My apologies for stepping on your dream - and spitting in your coffee.

;-((

Darn you Irina, well I am able to grow mini-sinningias to fruitful bloom, does that justify, or are the minis just out of reach for natural conditions? If so, well maybe one or two more full sizes and the window will be full :(

I think you will enjoy a big fat blooming standard better - than 5 semidead minis with 1 blossom per summer. I think the way to overcome it - Optimaras - get yourself semi- and mini Optimaras - little Jewels series and little Inidian girls series. They are tough, floriferous and very pretty. They shape themselves nicely and have attractive shiny leaves. Optimara Rose Quartz has sei-double hot pink flowers - and it holds them forever. Optimara Little Moonstone - has white with blue eye double flowers. Do not go for "Little Crystal" -it shouldn't be in a rosette category - it suckers and grows like a mini trailer.

You will really enjoy them. I think Little Hopi Girl is a nice fantasy - so they are all dfferent.

Irina, I composed an availability email to the vendor yesterday, and she replied all were in stock...so I pig-headedly decided to not waste her time, and they will be on the way on March 1 (weather permitting...which the forecast says it will).

I've previously flowered a number of minis from Rob in my office when I lived in Nebraska (using natural lighting), and while I never got a show plant, I did get a number of blooms and I really think I can do better now (we'll see, won't we) and that's what this is about...seeing if I've "grown".

So I don't want to say I'm totally ignoring your advise, but, blame it on enthusiasm and an overly responsive vendor (which made me want to be nice and order).

You will certainly get pictures and progress reports, and if they're all half dead by mid summer, you can say you told me so....and I can pick up some local stds pretty easily.

Our moribund local AV group wants to set up a time to chat with me, but I can't seem to catch the president at home. David reported on me being there and gave me her number to call, because she wanted to talk to me. David had been past motivator for the club, seems noone wanted to step up and run it...and I'm running if they think....

D. - lets say - I will take advantage of you and guilt trip you into getting a tray and a light fixture? They have these over the counter 24' t5 light sticks in WM - I think they are about $10 tube included. I have a stand which is a converted brass and glass shelving unit - and I can put 2 trays and I use 2 light sticks above them. You probably can use one - depending how many plants you ordered. You can grow them to bloom - and put on display, windowsill - to enjoy - and put them back under the light to recover. And mini-sinns will benefit it too.

What I am passionate about - is why pay darn good money and get good varieties - and then keep them in the conditions where they only show 5% of their potential?

Irina, the plant mama.

Lol, well, I'll try to not torment them too much...I'm generally known for my growing abilities in the family. You *do* quite a bit of enablement, don't you ? :) My pocket book really needs to be switched off for quite some time though...I've had a busy Feb ordering stuff of about half and half outdoor/indoor planting materials.

However, I have to say that african violet species must've been able to cope with the horrid conditions of natural lighting. I read that S. pusilla (or maybe rupicola) grows happily in Tanzania, high in a cloud forest, beside a waterfall, with no direct sunlight falling on it. Admittedly, you could coax more flowers out of it in perfect artificial conditions, but surely...

http://digitalnomad.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/28/mystery-of-the-african-violet/

So...I'll watch my minis carefully and see if they need resuscitation or CPR (lol)

I heard that Arkasas has a good humidity... but keeping a waterfall running near your growing area...that's a serious devotion!

For me - low humidity would be the problem. Second - a windowsill light - is very dependent on the direction and side of the house. You do not want full light at midday for species - they do like lower light. But again - I say lower light - and some less experienced growers will stick their species plants in a dark closet. And what they really need - an edge of the shelf or indirect light a foot from the window.

I enjoyed your link - but I do not think it is S.pusilla. And it is not S.rupicola - because rupicola is a trailer. But the digging in all kind of archives gave me lots of pleasure. S.pusilla is a miniature - the main conrtributor to minis and semis creation. And the flowers are bicolor. It is critically endangered - but the one from publication is not it.

Here is the description.

http://gesneriadsociety.org/chapters/DAVS/files/DAVS%20-Newsletter%203-14.pdf

Oh I would LOVE to have a waterfall on my property!!! But even in winter, I maintain about 50% indoor general humidity without any effort, hopefully even higher in the windowsills. In summer, the outside humidity is AWFUL (but the plants love it).

I have a house with unshaded windows on all directions (except east..which has light shade). I have options (lol)..though the options are slightly less in winter vs summer, because the laundry room is kept cool (but not freezing), and all the other plants that take a summer vacation outside are sharing the windows.

I've been growing indoor plants absolutely all my life, from orchids before I was ten, cacti, gesneriads, hibiscus, etc. Ferns still mostly baffle me (as indoor specimens)...I don't know how people manage to keep them looking good indoors.

I concentrate on mostly native plants for my outdoor plantings, but I'm not a purist there..I have some exotics too.

Yep, regarding the link, well it's still a lovely plant, I vote for some subspecies of S. ionantha (that link)..but I'm a horticulturalist, not a botanist :) It's wonderful to see where they grow naturally in the wild, isn't it ?

Yup - win the lottery and invite me to go to Tanzania with you to see the species.

I managed to grow a rabbit foot fern - it came as a volunteer in one of the pots - beautifully on wick and mat under lights - until it got bigger than the shelf. At that point it went to a friend's house - and it expired pretty soon I believe - it was too dry there.

Your humidity is perfect for plants, a bit wet for humans... keeps the skin from developing wrinkles, I believe. If you start a waterfall... your walls will start getting moldy... so lets skip it.

You are living in a tropical plant paradise. And you have good windows... I am envious...

Yes, mostly southern exposure (great in winter)...baking in summer...but then most plants go outside under the trees for summer. Never had any success doing that with violets though :)

You need to live in a montane forest in Tanzania to do it... but think about tsetse flies... before relocating...

I have had good luck with Jo's leaves. As to the window, I have grown some small ones there for years (Pennsylvania). Snuggles Little Dreamer, Snuggles, Ness' Crinkle Blue. Some don't like the cold very much but they will let you know if they aren't happy. Rob's Chilly Willy is nice but it does like light.

I think I might have chosen some others from her collection of Jollys. Jolly Diamond has been small and not has easy as many of the others (for me) but they are generally quite tough and easy plants. I grow Baby Moonbeam in the window. Of course, I don't think you have Pennsylvania winters :).

Diana

No, snow (typically) is here and gone in a couple of days (there was surprise snow last night...but wasn't here this morning).

I can give Chilly a bit more light by putting it in second row in south window if needed...I figured that variegation came at a price. I should be able to keep them warm enough, I am on a CPAP at night, and my minimum temperature is about 70 for MY comfort.

I'm really glad to know your opinion of Jo's stock though.

Remember it will be colder by a window though and a smaller pot will chill faster than a big pot. But they will look cold if they don't like it. Some varieties are fussier about it than others but nobody evaluates that now because they think they're all under lights. It's been raining here at the moment too. (Also new ones will be touchier than established plants. I hadn't realized that my one window was so cold and lost a couple from my isolation room when it got to be fall the one year.)

Enjoy them. If you want more, I would try some Jollys. I just put mine through the wringer and they came through looking quite good compared to some of the others. I have some Rob's too and quite a bit of other stuff at the moment . These are some I grow that Jo has and you could grow from leaves:

Boo Man

Heritage Frolic

Irish Flirt

Jolly Orchid

Jolly Wow
(You could pick a red Jolly as some are similar) I have some that have not bloomed yet or not much.

Ness' Satin Rose

Precious Red is a show winner but mine hasn't bloomed yet. It is tiny

Shirl's Hawaiian Lei is very nice but took awhile to get going (under lights)

Smitten Kitten - I have grown this in the window

I have some of the others but have not had them long enough to know about them.

Diana

I have storm windows, so that will ameliorate the cold a bit...but I try to watch my plants pretty much every day, so I'd notice if something is happening. I do appreciate your varietal recommendations though Quimoi and will keep them in mind if I expand or replace.

Well being crowded as mini's may have less effect on them (*chuckle*), often the pots are about as large as the mini.

What stage of maturity (or juvenility) were your plants from Jo? That will help me set my expectations.

Judy, I can honestly say that every time I saw Chiliy Willy on a website, it was instantly recognizable. I am so glad that Rob (assumption that it was him) chose it to release. The color combo of the bluish blossoms with the light yellow variegation on the leaves...classic.

It's a new one for me, I'd tried several other Robs minis back in the early 2000s. Actually, I believe that since I wasn't ordering from VioletBarn, these happen to all be new varieties for me. The list I had if it ordered from VB included a plant or two that I'd grown back when.

I can't wait to see them "in person".

I find that to be true in all plants. I prefer a smaller perennial rather than one that's flowering, root-bound, etc in a small pot. That's why I mail-ordered some specialty trees and shrubs (and expect they're relatively small rooted cuttings) this year. You can plant a one gallon (which these won't be) tree and have it catch up to a B&B five gallon equivalent in a few years. The older tree will struggle for a year or two with losing so many roots, while the smaller intact plant will zoom ahead.

That's great to hear!

Well, I can't say it's endless spring here...in fact spring usually lasts about 4 days, it's winter...the daffs bloom...and you're cutting grass and sweating (summer). Spring is very fleeting here...we seem to favor cold or hot vs just nice and pleasant.

I would prefer they make themselves strong little plants, than start blooming early. It's so hard to cut off incipient flowers (sorry my streps) to allow more energy into leaf growth.

I highly recommend Boo Man! Mine is such an excellent bloomer. And with all the problems I've had with powdery mildew, this one is most resistant.

I'm speaking from general experience (not violets), but PM seems to be associated with drought stresses in others plants I've grown (outdoors), you might consider wicking or stepping up the watering schedule a bit and see if that helps. Boo Man caught my eye, I almost ordered it, but I decided Chily Willy won that round (similar color and wow variegation)

One thing to keep in mind is that window light can differ a lot depending on where we live. California is not Pennsylvania which is not Wyoming (where I once lived). Some have factors like buildings and trees or reflected light too. (Just saying.)

Boo Man and Chilly Willy don't seem too much alike to me. And as to suckers, well some consider Rob's to be "sucker factories." I have had some issues but they normally settle down for me. It seemed like Rob's Pewter Bells was growing one every 15 mins. for awhile though.

I only got 3-5 plants from Jo and I believe they were all standards. They were okay. She had wicked with panty hose and I think the pots didn't match. I would buy plants again if I thought a plant was best but I do like growing from leaves. Maybe I will order plants though if I need to replace a couple. (I think Jolly Orchid looks more blue, BTW.)

I keep Spectracide Immunox for powdery mildew which seems to hit when the temps fluctuate. Just catch it fast and it will be fine. I grow some on my bathroom counter which has a window but also has a light suspended from the ceiling so I don't know if they count as window or not.

Good luck!

Diana

Actually I do agree with Diana. All the plants except this one had multiple suckers-drove me nuts! In the last couple years I've thinned those out by giving them away, but still have a few that do so. Those all came from Rob's. Haven't ordered from Rob in a long time, having focused on streps for quite a while, and some more vintage and variegated AVs that he does not carry. However, I've

had suckers even with those occasionally as well. Here's a picture of my Chilly Willy. It needs some grooming which I'm (ahem :-) ) tending to right now, but it's been blooming since at least October! Thought I had some babies I could send you but turns out I don't-they're all Rob's Cool Fruits (another fairly well-behaved variety)!

If you'd like a leaf (or leaves) let me know! While I'm grooming this I plan on putting some leaves up as well (so if you're feeling patient, you can have a baby in a few months instead!)! :-)

Best,

Judy

Judy, if I haven't fallen off the AV bandwagon by then, we will have to trade some strep and AVs...and glad to see you back online.

@ dbarron. I already wick water most of my violets. I'm afraid I just live in a very humid area that encourages the powdery mildew, especially when the temp changes.

Yep, I know humid too (Arkansas), though you could be more so even than us.

Ok, after pondering my thoughts and the forum posts, I did tell Jo to forget Jolly Diamond and surprise me with one other miniature that she thinks I should have.

Looking fwd to seeing what I get (should be about end of week).

The babies are coming today...I'll post a group picture later.

Well I lied, I didn't group them..but I'll post the ones that came with flowers, otherwise, the green and variegated leaves look good ;)

Jo changed my Jolly Diamond into a Jolly Orchid, I think I like that one better.

Above find, Knight Magic
Above is Rob's Antique Rose.

I about died when I saw the package, it looked like someone had stomped it, but the packing was so good the violets only suffered four broken leaves (one each from four different plants).

Well I love Jolly Orchid! The only reason I don't have it is that I had too many other ones! Now that I'm thinning things out a little, I'll probably get it myself! :-) Your new plants look lovely! :-) It's always nice when they arrive blooming!

Best,

Judy

Well I will have a Jolly Orchid leaf down Judy...if you want to wait till fall.

Hi, They look good. You can see what I meant about the way Jo's violets grow, with longer petioles reaching for the light. They will flatten out and fill out in time. I read that when they are blooming early, that means they were fertilized. I prefer to let them get their full complement of leaves before allowing them to bloom again. I feel the starter boom is sometimes forces just to satisfy the customer. I could be wrong about that. Joanne

Yes, it does look funny..but that does help them ship safely in the tubes she uses (leaves pointed up) I noticed.

I actually feel that the ones blooming have a full enough compliment of leaves that it's actual maturity. I notice that the ones that are blooming have a bit of a neck, and it makes my fingers itch to repot, but I'll let them settle before I do that.

The Gleeful elf will be in bloom in a couple of weeks (small buds) and the Jolly orchid has barely discernable buds. Chilly Willy has none.

Well dbarron, your on a roll. They are all so beautiful. Still waiting on my supplier to get mine. Velleta

Hi, If there is a neck, that means that it came from a mature plant, so it is established. It is probably the crown from a plant that had its lower leaves stripped. Therefore, it is established. I suggest not repotting for three weeks minimum. Gleeful Elf is a rare one, so congratulations! Enjoy your new addiction, er, hobby.

Lol, I have so many plant addictions, what is one more?

I saw the reference Irina made to Optimara Little Moonstone, that one is on my wish list. Does anybody know where I might be able to find it? The others on my list I have located and will be ordering when the weather gets a little warmer.

Blue Mountain Violets on Ebay just sold one-but it went for $100 with some seriously competitive bidding. You might try emailing them to see if they're planning on listing again!

Best,

Judy

Yes I saw that listing and it definitely had one too many zeros.

Well, the next to last has finally bloomed, Jolly Orchid has landed.

Lovely!

Keep the good works! They all should be blooming for you!

Well, it's in and out of bloom cycles on all of them...I am not giving them good enough conditions to keep it constant. I'm happier with that than constant exhibition shows anyway...I like change.

Hmmm - green plant out of bloom??? I have plenty of it - it is called a lawn and I need to mow it...(Oh NO!)

If you fix your conditions to the best you can - it is not that AVs will look like plastic plants with flowers always on. They go through the cycle faster and when they bloom - they do have more flowers - but they have out of bloom stages when they rest - just they rebuild the resources for blooming in a more expedient way.

I think it is the fun part - to try to improve, to try a different approach - sometimes it is a total flop - sometimes it is for the better. So I am pretty sure that the improvement bug will bite you again..