Description
The African violet, also called saintpaulia, comes in many varieties and forms. The species is native to the Usambara Mountains on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Its brightly coloured, two-lipped flowers, which appear all year round, make it an ideal houseplant.
The plants are 10 to 15 cm tall and can exceed 40 cm across. With proper care, African violets stay vigorous for many years. Most saintpaulias sold are unnamed hybrids. The most sought-after are violets with bicoloured flowers, but those with double flowers, frilled petals or leaves with wavy edges are also popular. Miniature and trailing forms are also available.
Violets do well in the company of other flowers, but choose companions with similar requirements.
Requirements
Although African violets like light, they should not be exposed to direct sun, especially in summer. They do well on windowsills, but not south-facing ones.
These plants like high air humidity, so it is good to stand the pot on pebbles in a saucer filled with water.
Saintpaulia dislikes being watered with cold water and does not tolerate misting of its leaves and flowers.
Propagation
The simplest way to get new violets is from leaf cuttings with stalks. Growing an adult plant from a leaf cutting takes 8–10 months. Take leaves with their stalks from the mother plant, dip the ends in rooting hormone and insert them in a pot up to the base of the leaf blade. Keep the cuttings at 18–21°C for 6 weeks. Move the small plants that form to separate pots when they reach 5 cm across.
Care
The African violet grows best in peat-based compost in shallow pots with fine drainage. Repot every year, in spring or summer, when the roots fill the pot.
Remove older, fading leaves and flowers at the base, leaving only three or four "tiers" of leaves on the plant.
Water with lukewarm water twice a week, carefully from below – into the saucer. In winter water more sparingly. During growth add liquid fertiliser to the water every two weeks.
When plants get sick
Brown spots on the leaves are usually the result of too much sun, but can also be caused by wetting the leaves.
Mould attacks plants in an overly damp, stuffy environment and in pots without drainage. Move the violets to a drier place and give them proper drainage.
Before you buy
Check that the leaves are healthy and firm. Choose plants with plenty of flower buds.
Average lifespan: – A perennial plant.
Difficulty of care: – Easy to care for.