By: Cynthia Severson, Spring Branch African Violet Club, African Violet Society of America

African Violets are not fussy plants. They should be tended to once a week (watering, removing spent leaves and blooms), then left alone. If one pays too much attention to them, then the grower may accidentally overwater them, or touch the leaves too often. 

African Violets are watered from the bottom up, potted with a wick extending from pot bottom. The pot and wick then are placed on saucers or reservoirs. Water placed in the saucers travels from the wick into the soil and plant. Wicks, a material similar to kitting string, or twine, but more refined, can be found in Home Depot or Lowe’s or online. 

• ADEQUATE LIGHT — Bulbs or fluorescent lights with a low wattage. Aquarium lights are good, for example. Timers can be put on the lights where the AVs receive 10-14 hours of light. 
• NATURAL INDIRECT WINDOW LIGHT. If blinds are used, try to sway the light upward, so the AVs won’t get direct exposure to the sunlight. 

AFRICAN VIOLET SIZES: 

• STANDARD — a large plant with single or double blooms, and can grow to a foot in diameter. The pots are usually 4” pots. 
• SEMI-MINIATURE — a smaller version of a Standard, which would require a 2-3” pot. The leaves are smaller than a Standard AV. 
• MINIATURE — smaller version of a Semi-miniature, which would require a 2” pot.) 

LEAVES — Solid dark green, variegated (white and green) or curled. 

BLOOMS — White, pink, purple, lilac, light blue, red. Curled white, purple, lilac, light blue, pink (these leaves are colored with a green, curly frame on the outside). Double bloom 

HYBRIDS : Can apply to standard, miniature or semi-miniature plants, as long as the yellow pollen sac from the plant center of one violet is taken and applied pollen yellow sac of another violet. A tiny scrape of the pollen will suffice, as long as it is done gingerly. All hybrids can have dark green, variegated leaves or curled leaves. 

EPISCIAS are standard plants or trailers, depending on how a grower trains them. For a standard plant snip leaves in the bottom layer for a fuller center; or if the plant is to become a trailer, then let the leaves drape from the pot, but keep the center propagated to keep its new growth stationary. Episcia blooms are red and burnt orange with solid or variegated leaves – for red blooms, the leaves are light, fuzzy green. For burnt orange blooms, the leaves are variegated dark brown with dark yellow edges. 

EPISCIA (cousins of African violets), grow just like AV with striking, variegated leaves and deep red or rust blooms. They can grown as trailers, or can be propagated as a standard plant.