Edged....

Now this is a proper edge on a violet. How come they all don't look like this one?

Show Me The Violets!

Here are a few of the exciting plants and designs that you'll see at the Spring Show sponsored by the AVSM. Still going on today, be sure to stop by Har Mar Mall on the corner of Snelling and CR-C to check out the blooms.

Happy April Fool's Day to YOU!

The Boys of Summer are simply aghast at what they found this morning in their pool.... Is this a joke???? Is this some sort of twisted April Fool's shenanigan? Or is it really all a spoof featuring a photo taken in January????

YOU be the judge!!!!

PS: You get the most points if you vote for "Twisted April Fool's Shenanigan especially made for Minnesota Seasonal Depressives".

Field Trip

The Gesneriad Society's chapter here in the Twin Cities took a very interesting field trip to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Biological Control Laboratory on Sunday the 30Th. The facility sounds very interesting for the person wishing to learn more about how to take care of pest problems using a more "green" approach. A guest blogger was there to fill us in on more of the details.

The Twin Cities Chapter of the Gesneriad Society toured the Mn Department of Agriculture's Biological Control Program. Neil Cunningham discussed the various common bug problems and ways to control or get rid of them. He had an interesting talk that included putting petri dishes under a projection microscope with the bugs still crawling around! The microscope was attached to a computer, which in turn was put on a screen for everyone to see. He showed very large pictures of blossom thrips, red spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, fungus gnats and scale. He explained how the use of predacious insects would be useful in controlling pest insects. The predators eat bugs but will only live on the "bad" bugs or their eggs. The predators will not do any damage to the plants. To learn more, go to the Department of Agriculture's website that is at MN Department of Agriculture They order their supplies from the Green Methods company. This site if full of interesting information about "good bugs" and how to use them for control of plant pests whether in the home, garden or for agricultural situations.

He also took us into the greenhouse and gave a demonstration of applying the predators to a plant infested with aphids. It was an exciting afternoon. As we see that we are having more and more impact on the environment around us, it's good to find new and effective ways to deal with pests with less use of toxic substances!

I'm excited to have this for a resource and I thank the Gesneriad Club for giving us the contact information. I personally intend to use more biological control in the flower beds this year because I'm encouraging bees and butterflies to the yard and I don't want to harm them after working hard to attract them. Besides anything you put on your yard comes into contact with your pets, children and ultimately runs off into the water system. I don't want to drink some of that stuff......

Another Surprise

Here's one for you... This is "Jealous Heart". Most blooms are like the bottom one, clear light pink on the petals with a distinctive patch of magenta in the throat. Why are some of the blooms coming out with the mottling and splotchy coloration on the petals? This has happened on more than one of the blooms recently. Not much has changed about the plants care and culture.

Give us an opinion or guess... nsavctc@gmail.com and we'll share with everyone if we get a few comments.

Party Boy

A lovely fantasy bloom on a streptocarpus.

The Votes Are In!

What do most people say about why they grow violets? When asked the question, 42% of our votes came in with folks growing violets because they have "pretty flowers". Twenty eight percent said that "their mother or grandmother grew violets". Fourteen percent grew violets because they "could sell them", they "liked to show them" or they "thought it was relaxing". No one answered that they grew the African violet because other plants such as "begonias died when they tried those". But most people, a whopping 57%, said that they grow violets because "it is a CHALLENGE."

What are the challenges you face when you grow? TELL US. nsavctc@gmail.com

Happy Easter?????

Frogs really hate snow, and snow a couple of days before Easter just isn't right!

No egg hunt in the yard this year.

The votes are in...

The last poll question asked why interest in hobby clubs (of all sorts) seems to be declining. Out of the possible answers the poll received the most votes for two statements. One was people might be spending more time at work, thus having less time to devote to hobby pursuits. The second answer that tied with the first was simply that people are lacking interest in hobbies currently.

Less popular were opinions that there are more children's activities to deal with and also more household chores and maintenance to occupy one's time. Choices that got no votes were people participating in community volunteerism, having a second job, better things on the TV, reading and participating in sports and activities.

There was a distinct period of time where people were in many varied and interesting hobby clubs such as model railroad building, garden clubs, pigeon racing, kennel clubs, quilting societies, model rocket clubs etc. What exactly is so important now that hobbies are in decline and we scurry around frantically multitasking so that we can "make time" to schedule a once a week supper at a table with our children and family??? Perhaps if anyone has the answer to this we'll make the six 0'clock news AND we'll get more members for our club........

A Well Groomed Man.....

A well groomed man is all well and good, but a well groomed violet..... now that is a thing of beauty! Here are some tips to get your violet looking it's best for your home or for entering in a show!

First, a soft make-up brush works wonders for getting light dust and things like cat hair off of the fuzzy leaves. Be sure that the bristles of the brush are soft enough to use on your face or skin.
A plant with all the dead and faded flowers removed, and any dead or fading leaves taken off will be much less likely to have pest or disease problems. Don't be afraid to remove the spent flowers, the plant responds by producing more new flowers.

To help decide how to maintain a balanced and full rosette shape for your violet, you can see how removing a leaf or two will look before actually snapping them off. Place a little piece of tissue paper or flexible material over the leaf in question and you can see what the effect of that leaf's removal will do to the "look" and the shape of the plant.


If you have a leaf or two that would look better if it were moved into a slightly different position, you can use a little stir stick, or straw to gently move it and hold it in the new position for a few days. After three or four days check the leaf. It will likely be happily in it's new position.

If you notice some powdery mildew on the bloom stems of your African violet you can brush on a solution of fungicide (that is appropriate and approved for house plants and indoor use) and many times the fungus will be cured and the bloom still fresh and able to be left on the plant.

A well groomed plant will have fresh, bright blooms (like #239 here) and nice shiny, clean leaves. Notice that the shape of the plant is balanced and circular in a proportionally sized pot.

Have questions for us???? Send a note to nsavctc@gmail.com and we'll see that you get an answer to your AV related question!

Thanks to Barb W. for the models in this post!!!!