I just love African Violets and growing up my mother always had them all over the house. Saintpaulia, commonly known as African Violets are in the Gesneriaceae family and it is native to Tanzania and southeastern Kenya in Africa. The history behind this beautiful flower is fascinating.

The African Violet genus is named after Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire dating back to 1860 who was a district commissioner of the Tanga province and discovered the plant in Tanganyika now called Tanzania in Africa in 1892. It is said that the Baron then sent seeds of the plant to his father who was an amateur botanist in Germany.

In 1884 and 1887, Sir John Kirk and Reverend W.E. Taylor who were British plant enthusiasts, had collected and submitted specimens to Royal Botanic Gardens Kew but the quality of the specimens was not good enough to permit scientific description of the plant at that time. The genus Saintpaulia was scientifically described by J.C. Wendland in 1893.

African Violets are cultivated as house plants and usually kept in the house. I remember mother buying very pretty pots for her African Violets and placing them in window sills all over the house.  These come in different colors such as white, pink, violet and hard to find dark red and yellow. The flowers can be either single with five petals or double which has more than five petals. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

 

African Violets prefer temperatures between 65-75 Fahrenheit and thrive best if planted in well drained rich soil. Compost is also good as it promotes good drainage. You can plant them in hanging baskets, containers or flower pots but it is best to keep them in the house in colder regions.

 

Although you can start African Violets from seeds, my recommendation is to get already established plants at your local nursery. These are easy to care for and all you need to do is keep them moist and give them indirect sun light. Be careful not to over water African Violets as they do not like to be swimming in water and excess water may damage the roots.

 

To your gardening success,
Diana

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Get beautiful color during the winter months by planting Cyclamen. It is native to the Mediterranean region from Spain to east of Iran, and also in northeast Africa. Although Cyclamen has been confused with Persian violet or primrose, it is actually in the myrsinaceae family and has nothing to do with primroses or violets.

Cyclamen are herbaceous plants with a surface or underground tuber which produces leaves and blooms during the winter months and continues to bloom until April each year. They can be propagated from seeds but usually takes between 9-18 months to reach the flowering stage. For this reason, it is best to buy the plants at a local nursery which are already established.

These garden beauties rarely do well in warm weather and they do have a dormant period during the summer months. One key feature of Cyclamen is its unusual variety of leaves and markings which range from round to oval, arrowhead shape, and ivy-leaved ones. Cyclamen is a tuberous potted plant that loves the cool weather and indirect sun light. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees.

This gorgeous plant will give you lots of much needed color during the winter months and will continuously bloom all season long. The leaves are deep green heart-shaped with silvery marbled patterns. Cyclamen will do well if planted in the garden where winters are mild, but my advice is to plant them in containers and place them in the patio. They also do well in balconies, window boxes and large flower pots.

Caring for Cyclamen is easy as these require very little care. Just make sure that the soil if kept moist but be careful not to over water them and that they have indirect sun light. With proper light, adequate moist soil and cool temperatures, you will have beautiful color in your garden all winter long. If your garden lacks color during the long winter months, go ahead and get some Cyclamen plants and place them in your garden. To get you started, here are some Cyclamen that I am familiar with.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad White – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad White

This hardy Cyclamen blooms continuously from December to April with gorgeous white blooms above silvery green foliage. The blooms seem to arch above the wide rounded heart shaped foliage which looks like little frogs jumping from one lily pad to the next. The leaves usually arise in autumn and are olive green shade with silver overtones. These will tolerate frost and other inclement winter conditions and around December, white blooms will appear which will continue for up to 5 months. Lily Pad White likes the shade and thrives in zones 5-9.

Hardy Cyclamen Neapolitanum – Botanical name is the same

Wow! This Cyclamen is hardy even in 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This dainty Cyclamen is ideal for planting under the shade of trees to add beauty and color to your garden. It offers masses of lilac flowers with rich dark eyes and petals curving upward above heart shaped foliage. It thrives in zones 5-9 and in the shade beneath trees and shrubs and can also be planted in containers or pots.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad Pink – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad Pink

This Cyclamen actually tolerates frost and inclement winter weather. Recommended for the shade garden, Lily Pad Pink blooms continuously from late winter to mid spring. It has lavender-pink flowers and two tone green foliage marked with silver. Plant these in containers or large pots or even beneath trees or shrubs for a stunning winter flowering garden.

To a beautiful winter garden,
Diana

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