Mystery Micro Sinningia

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Found this blooming in my Wood Nymph container today, but it's not Wood Nymph!
I can't find anything like it online, a micro sinningia with six petals?

Either it's a fluke (hope not!), or my Wood Nymph selfed itself and made a new hybrid. That would be so cool! So I have to take extra special care of it and see what happens... Cross your fingers!

Disbudding Time

It did hurt a little to do this, but I wanna have really awesome plants to show at the AVSA/AVSC convention in Detroit this year!

By taking all the flowers off, and picking off buds as they develop for the next month & 1/2 or so*, the idea is to time it just right and let them go into flower 8 weeks or so* before the show, and they will hopefully EXPLODE with bloom once they are finally allowed.


(*Buy the book Growing To Show by Pauline Bartholomew for more detailed instructions and time-frames for specific plant varieties)

Happy African Violet Anniversary To Me...

Five years ago this month, a tiny little African violet caught my eye at a Lowe's Home Improvement Store and completely changed my life. (Not saying that just to sound dramatic--it really, truly did.)
Tonight I came home after being away for the past month or so and there it was, blooming away on my shelf as if it was trying to say, "Welcome home, and happy anniversary."

I can't believe it's been five whole years already! I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing with these damn plants mosta the time. I'm so happy that I found this little plant that night, which led me into this hobby and a new life, surrounded with great people.

Da Loot!

Here's what I bought this past weekend at the Hartford Flower & Garden Show!

Top row left to right:
S. grotei Silvert clone (way outta my comfort zone, but it's for a "project" I have in mind), Rob's Bad Bunny, Rob's Love Bite, Rob's Smoke Rings, and Teeny Bopper (also out of my comfort zone, but "backup" in case the grotei doesn't work out for my "project").

Bottom row left to right:
Rob's Scrumptious, Rob's Whiz Bang, Rob's Heebie Jeebie, Chilly Willy, and Optimara Little Opal.

Now the challenge begins--To keep them all looking this cute and perfect forever!

I Can't Stop Shopping!

Ahhhhhhh!! They just keep accidentally falling into my bag!

Gesneriad Class at the Hartford Flower & Garden Show

Yup, this is it. Three lonely African violets among alllll the horticultural exhibits.
But everyone knows the best place to see show-quality African violets & gesneriads is at a real African violet show! (or gesneriad show)
To find an African violet show (or club) near you, check out the AVSA website!

Sneak Peek..

..at what I bought from Rob yesterday!

Any guesses?? (Hint: One of them is very out-of-character for me...)

Will post a more decent pic with names once I get the last one he's holding for me tomorrow (it's a display plant, so I can't have it until they're packing up!)

Reporting Live From Hartford Flower & Garden Show

It's that time of year again!
I haven't even checked out the show yet, because I'm busy running back & forth from the Violet Barn booth ( where I'm shopping) and the Windsor African Violet Society's educational table (where I'm technically working... Is talking  to people about African violets WORK? I think not.)

Steptocarpus Overload!

I just finished putting a ton of Lenny's strep seedlings into the "million cell tray" as I call it. (in reality, it only has 288 cells)
Chevrolet, Ice Tea, Wow, Web Of Intrigue, Snowy Night, Geronimo, Filip, Remembering John, Kaminpa, Bridie, Lollipop Dream, Neil's Lipstick, and Fire Dragon--All carefully taken of the mama leaves and lined up in their own neat little rows.
Grow babies, grow!

VIDEO: Paul Sorano On The Martha Stewart Show

Special thanks to Alcie who got the video and posted it for all of us! Good going, man!!



Paul looks so nervous and shy. Adorbz!! <3

Paul Sorano To Appear On The Martha Stewart Show

Paul Sorano  from Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses just sent out word that he recently went to Manhattan to film a very short (only 5 minutes!) segment about African violets on The Martha Stewart Show. Hope he talked fast, can't wait to see how much info he managed to cram into that amount of time!
The episode will air Tuesday, February 7th* at 10:00 am on the Hallmark channel. Set your DVR now--And  if you don't have DVR, don't get up for a snack  watching it live, you might miss him!
*Note: it WAS Monday the 6th, but had been changed to Tuesday the 7th!