Are you an African Violet lover?? I sure am.
I had nice beautiful ones before Kramer, my husband, passed away. I had lots and they were all sorts of different varieties. Kramer ended up getting sick with lung cancer and while he was doctoring, I forgot about my plants. I was juggling many things and the African Violets were low on the priority list and didn’t get the attention they needed.
A few weeks after he passed, I went to my sewing room where my violets are and I was devasted. My plants looked horrible. They were dying. It was a double whammy of depressing.
I took it pretty hard. I almost threw all the plants out. I just wanted them gone and not a reminder of death. But…unlike Kramer, I could actually have a shot at nursing these plants back to life.
Even with my best efforts, I lost over half of my plants…I consider what I have left as true survivors.
Now that I’m back to moving in the right direction with the plants, I decided it might be a good time to get a couple more plants. I don’t know if I need as many as I had at one point, but it might okay to get a few more.
I went online and looked. I was having trouble finding anyone that was selling small plants. Everyone was selling leaves.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with violets, they propagate by leaf cuttings. It’s simple, take a leaf, cut it so there is only 1/2″ stem left on the leaf, and put it in soil. In a few months, little baby violet plants will grow. I’ve started MANY MANY violets in my life.
There is no guarantee that the leaf will make a plant. It does most of the time, but not always.
Each leaf was selling for $4 and they wanted $11 for shipping. The initial shipping charge is $11 but you can buy more leaves without added shipping…but each leaf is $4.
That got me thinking. I wonder if there are other blog readers out there who love African Violets and might be interested in a leaf swap.
Would anyone be interested in a leaf swap? I could mail you one of my leaves and you could mail me one of yours. I’m looking for plants that are hardy, bloom nicely, or have interesting leaves.
You can see many of my plants have variegated leaves or flowers….some have droopy flowers some stand tall and bloom. I like variety.
I’ve mailed out a leaf in the past to a blog reader and she was able to start a plant from it. When the stem is wrapped in a wet paper towel and then the whole leaf put into a ziplock bag, it can work to mail the leaves and start plants.
I could easily exchange with five people. Is anyone interested? Feel free to email me at rogjok@iowatelecom.net if you are.
I am not a plant person at all though I do grow peas to nibble on with my grandbabies each summer. I just wanted to say that I hope some people will join you in a leaf swap, it would be lovely! I enjoyed seeing your beautiful flowers!
Your African violets are beautiful!! I used tog row them years and years ago. I think pre-children. They can be time consuming and very picking about light and humidity. I used to root them by putting a leaf in a small glass of water. I enjoyed leaf exchanges like you are wanting to do. Good luck. I think they are the best house plant.
I have often admired your violets when seen in pictures from your sewing room. I wish I had some to offer, but I have failed whenever I’ve tried to grow them. My grandmother always had such beautiful ones. I wish you success.
I would love to but I am down to two plants and neither is outstanding. I have had some beauties in the past, but I have to leave my daughter in charge when I am in Florida. Due to that I have lost Several due to this.
Best of luck with your leaf exchange, Jo. Your African Violets are beautiful!! They remind me of my Grandmother. She grew many varieties and plants lined three shelves built in front of her breakfast room windows. I had my own that grew for a while, but now I’m down to just one lonely philodendron. :o((
The mere mention of African violets brings back to my childhood Andrew going to grammas. I swear her thumb was totally green. She could and did grow everything I remember some kind of fruit growing in a pot on her front enclosed porch She was amazing but her violets were awesome. I’ve had them but they never live long I did get some of her green thumb and I can and bake like she did. Miss her
Sorry, only have philodendron to offer. My mom had a hundred violets– many duplicates as she took care of every leaf. Fun idea, hope you get some unusual varieties to add for your upcoming pleasure.
I am an african violet lover but have nothing to swap at the moment. Many years back with young children, cats, and dogs, I gave up. I bought many of my plants, got leaves from friends, but also had ordered a package of variegated leaved african violet seed from Park Seed. I really did get beautiful plants from the seed. I’ll have them again someday. Thank you for posting pictures of you plants. They’re beautiful.
I’ll swap! I have four violets, two in bloom right now (so I know how the blooms look, lol). I’ll email you some pics. I’d love some variety. None of mine have variegated leaves, but one of the current bloomers is fuchsia and the other is a true purple with a white border on the blooms. One of mine is from my late grandma (born in 1909). I’ve started so many leaves from it through the years and they all took.
oh I would love to be able to grow African violets! Unfortunately I have a black thumb they die on me even the toughest plants don’t do well. My sister grows them and she has lots of variety. She might be interested in an exchange. I’ll call her and let her know.
Check out the Violet Barn too. They have miniatures…a new rabbit hole to fall into.
exciting! i would love to swap too, and maybe with Paulette as well if she’d like! i actually asked a few gardening friends a few weeks ago if any of them had any African violets to swap but none did. i once had a bigger collection too, but lost most of them when i moved houses in the middle of a snowstorm. i only have two plants right now, one is a white flower with purple centers, and blooms very robustly. the other is still an adolescent, from a leaf i snipped from a friend, that has deep magenta flowers as i recall. i’ll email you now!
I suppose it would not be permitted for me to send you a leaf from Canada, but if it is ,I am more than happy to share one or two from my very healthy purple violet.
I can’t see an African violet plant and not think of my HH’s grandmother. She was well known for pinching a leaf and putting them in her pocket! All she had to do was look at them and they grew!
I bought myself a tiny little miniature violet with more flower buds on it than leaves! It sits in my kitchen window and has been blooming for months! Not sure why tho’. Never had much luck before, but I’m not complaining!