African Violet: A Perfect Houseplant
December 8, 2018
African violets are a classic indoor houseplant. But there's nothing old fashioned about them, as far as I'm concerned. I love collecting new varieties with beautiful flowers and they make for such a great houseplant.
Gesneriads are a large family of more than 3000 tropical species that sport beautiful flowers and foliage. Many beloved blooming houseplants, such as African violets, are members of this group. Most gesneriads have similar growing needs and are perfect for indoor gardeners. Be sure to allow plants to dry between waterings, just like with many succulents. Over-watering can quickly kill them.
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This African Violet wasn't blooming, due to lack of light. So I placed it under an HO T5 Fluorescent grow lamp to encourage flowers.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck
African Violets are great for indoor gardeners who don’t have a lot of space but want to brighten up their home with flowers. African violets appreciate medium to bright indirect sunlight, such as you might find in a southern window. Hot afternoon sun can scorch them, but low-light conditions will leave them flowerless. Add an LED or Fluorescent grow lamp to boost blooms on your African violets if you don't have enough light indoors to keep them happy.
