My grandmother grew African violets, lots of African violets. One of the big bay windows in that old house was full of them, all different colors, all different sizes. My mom tried to grow African violets, and that did not go as well.
Streptocarpus is the genus of what we call African violets. At least I think so, but I’m no expert. I grow African violets primarily for the fun of them. Nothing fancy, just your standard, big-box African violets. I’m not sure of the taxonomy for each one, or for any of them really. It’s not that serious of a relationship, we just kinda get along.
About half of mine came from a scratch and dent rack. Since I can usually fix them, and anybody can, for a couple of bucks I’m in. This one though originated with the father of a very good friend. Over several years, it’s proven to be pretty resilient; but for me African violets generally are. They’re tougher than they look. I’ve got mine in terra cotta, which I’m told breaks all the rules, but then grandma did, so here we are.
If you don’t have one, it’s worth a try. They’re available and affordable. And they bloom. I love foliage, and I have a lot of plants primarily for the foliage, but blooms, flowers, yeah that’s a good thing.
I’ll keep you posted.
