You have a whole bed of blossoms here, Elma,” my friend and colleague Catherine exclaimed. “How on earth did you do that?”
She was looking at the blanket of blooms spreading across my collection of African violets. The plants were doing very well. Nearly every one was topped by a mound of flowers.
The answer to my violet-growing success left me a little sheepish. I had put them in front of a mirror.
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“Apparently they’re a vain sort and like to see their reflection, then try to outdo or outgrow their own image,” I said to my visitor, after explaining my secret.
The scientific explanation for the practice is a little less colourful. Mirrors redirect light and, when positioned properly, can therefore be valuable tools for the indoor gardener trying to eke as much growing power as possible from whatever filters through the window.
A bundle of violets
I’ve compiled numerous collections over the years. As a child, it was bottle caps, then gum wrappers and earrings, although I never wore any. As a young adult, I delighted in souvenir spoons brought home by friends from their exotic travels.
That one ended up much bigger than expected. I initially thought I’d never collect many on my own, and the spoons were small. I didn’t expect that word of my collection would lead several individuals to present me with their entire supply.
My interest in collections continued even after I started teaching. At various times, I collected bells, vintage pencil sharpeners and, most recently, matryoshkas (nesting dolls). Most of those collections have taken up residence in the local school and each has served a purpose, whether that’s discovering things around the yard, learning about new places or having attention-grabbing teaching tools to add a bit of pizzazz to my lessons.
Out of all those groups of things, my current, live collection is far and away the most satisfying.
My pastime of collecting African violets started with gifted plants, given by friends and relatives and kept in the old classroom to freshen up the atmosphere. Those first violets thrived in their home by the north window.
In summer 2002, a new school opened. The new building was equipped with a geothermal heating and cooling system that provided much-appreciated moving air.
For the violets, the change was less appreciated. The plants had been relocated to all four north and east-facing windows in my classroom, all of which were fitted with an air vent.
Little by little, my plants appeared increasingly unhappy. Their leaves turned limp and fewer blooms emerged. Moving the pots away from the windows helped some, but most were already too far gone. I took the survivors home in hopes of nursing them back to health.
In February 2021, while visiting my sister at Crystal Spring Colony, I got a chance to replenish my collection. A friend had invited me for a visit and presented me with several new plants, as well as extra leaves to propagate.
I’ve had the great satisfaction of seeing tiny leaflets sprout and grow from those leaves and others that I’ve planted and look forward eagerly to watching them bud and blossom.
Growing tips
There is no shortage of stories and bits of folklore regarding African violets.
“Keep your plants root-bound in small pots; then you’ll have more blooms,” one cousin suggested, advice that I’ve since found to be well-grounded.
My great aunt informed me that African violets like to be placed in groupings rather than isolated from other plants. I’ve since placed mine in groups of four or five, and they’re doing well in their communal setting.
“How often do you water them?” another friend asked, surveying my plants during one of her rare visits.
“Once a week,” I replied.
“Oh my!” she cried, flapping her hands in disbelief. “That’s much too often! Every two weeks is quite enough. And remember, you must not water them from the top,” she went on, touching a water-marked leaf. “They simply don’t like to get their leaves wet.”
So, every second Saturday morning finds me in our kitchen, surrounded by almost two dozen plants. After pouring rainwater or melted snow (depending on the season) into deep trays and fortifying it with liquid plant food, I set my plants into the water to soak from the bottom. I usually leave them for an hour or so.
Occasionally, while they drink, I take each plant and gently brush the leaves with a soft-bristled brush, removing dust or debris and leaving their velvety foliage with an attractive, healthy sheen.
Several times between these biweekly treatments, I check the soil moisture and add water as needed.
The levels of violet gardening
This third level took me over a year to achieve.
My mom finds knitting therapeutic and satisfying. For me, pampering my violets on those Saturday mornings fills a similar role. The gentle contact with foliage and blossoms, the brushing, snipping and watering, these are as restful to me as a night’s sleep.
They provide a shot of exhilaration every time I discover new growth or take a minute to appreciate the vivid blooms, especially during our lengthy Manitoba winters.