Ever blooming Love for the African Violet The African violet....... Maybe, your grandmother had them all over her house. Your mother, a bit more restrained, kept one or two here and there. Both however took great pride in caring for these plants.
As I was having my haircut yesterday, I was reading through FIRST FOR WOMAN magazine. I came across an article that talked about the African Violet plant and how it is becoming "the
NEW flower/plant of today".
One thing that’s evident , younger people are discovering fresh ways to display this lovable houseplant – using them in clusters as table centerpieces for special events, as pot arrangements in lieu of cut bouquets, as a refreshing splash of color in an entertaining room and given as special occasion gifts they’ll last infinitely longer than cut flowers.
Although I have many of these plants, I would definitely not consider myself a collector of them or one who would join a plant society dedicated to them. Maybe because I still remember "all the grandmothers" always having some on their dining room window sill. And I remember seeing the little old ladies selling them at the annual flower and patio shows usually dressed in African Violet print aprons. I think I have always had some fear that I might be considered 'old' if I have too many African Violets. In fact I think there must be a rule that a gardener should only have one African Violet for every decade they've been alive, or they are aging themselves before their time.
I believe this rule came from the same place that says no white shoes or belts after Labor day. It was important to stay under quota and think of yourself as I'm not old, at least if you measure age by the number of African Violets you might have.
So now, in 2009, I have learned that I can proudly display my African Violets!!
“The African violet is the house pet of houseplants". It gives back the love you give. Longtime African violet devotees have been seeing a generational shift in buyers in recent years. “The younger generations are coming to appreciate the beauty and versatility of the African Violet, perhaps because maintenance is so easy. It’s like a starter plant for budding green thumbs.
My little hams ( Niko, Andy and Charlie) always show up when the camera comes out.....however, they believe this is their furniture, their patio and their backyard. I suppose these are also their African Violets also.
Who knew.......as it turns out, with my love for these plants I can say, I am actually ahead of my time and fashionable.
Isn’t is funny how today’s trends always have roots in the past?
On these nights the fragile or more pampered plants get moved inside to protect them. Mine go to the bathroom off the patio. This year they have already been moved in & out several times.
My Beautiful ground cover on my island......not so pretty now. Spring will bring it back again.
In January 2009, Central Florida experienced some of the coldest nights of the winter. In the mornings to follow, plants were covered in ice. Grass had a thin layer of frost. Icicles were hanging from trees, and the cold pretty much destroyed many tropical plants as well as plenty of non-tropical plants in my garden. The good news is many will grow back and 75-80 degree weather is scheduled to return this weekend. 
