African Violets

Fuzzy-leafed and friendly, African violets satisfy your soul when you yearn for flowers as winter winds blow.

Milang Skies

Best Selections

Because most violets have green leaves, plants with variegated foliage intrigue nearly all flower fanciers. These varieties can be difficult to grow; beginners beware. Variegated plants aren't as strong, and their leaf color tends to fade in hot weather.

Two favorite variegated plants include Milang Skies and Ruffled Romance, which blooms with ruffled two-tone pink flowers, has dark-green, cream and pink leaves.

African Violet Varieties Slide Show >>

Care and Maintenance

No matter which varieties you choose, your African violets will perform best in light, fluffy soil. It should be so loose, you easily can push your finger to the bottom of the pot. Don't pack the soil down when planting.

Give your plants bright light, and set the pots in an east window about 12 inches from the glass. Keep the violets at about 72 degrees.

You can water plants from the top of the soil or from the bottom, but never let a plant stand in a saucer full of water. Although you'll get best results by watering before the soil dries out completely, too dry is better than too wet.

Despite a popular myth that African violets shouldn't get their leaves wet, you can bathe your plants. Fill a quart spray bottle with very warm water, plus a few drops of a mild dish detergent, then spray the leaves. After a few minutes, rinse by tipping the plant under a gentle flow of warm water from the faucet. Don't wet the crown at the center of the plant, and keep the violet out of bright light until the leaves dry off.

Regularly snip or pinch back faded blooms. Gently rock the stalks from side to side to remove yellowed leaves and old blooms. You can dust the leaves with a soft paintbrush.

When an older plant's base grows up from the soil and develops a bare "neck" or stalk, it's time to repot.

Repotting Instructions:

1. Remove the plant from its pot. Using the dull side of a knife, gently scrape off old dried tissue from the outside of the bare stalk.

2. Set the plant in a clean pot, so the lower leaves rest evenly at the top of the pot.

3. Fill in around the stalk with fresh potting soil.

Pest Control Tip:

If one of your plants develops an unusually tight center, with twisted, grayish-green foliage, blame cyclamen mites. Because these insects are difficult to control, we recommend throwing away any infected plants.