North Star Fall Show

FALL SHOW!

The North Star African Violet Council happily invites you to their AVSA Fall Show at Bachman's Garden Center 6010 Lyndale Ave. MPLS, MN. Saturday Oct. 1, 10:00 AM to 4 PM, and October 2, Noon to 4 PM.

Flowers, Fun and Friends!

There will be lots of sale plants and lovely violets to see!

Come and join us for a great plant weekend! Contact us at NSAVCTC@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook at North Star African Violet Council.

Music Maker

 Music Maker (10541) 04/09/2012 (P. Sorano/Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses) Semidouble plum frilled star/pink fantasy. Dark green, plain, quilted. Large

I really like this one... the spots are big and bright and the flowers are large!

A fun plant to grow and something different from the ones you see at the grocery store! Give this one a try. You can find it at Lyndon Lyon's Greenhouses.






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Walter says.....

Walter says, "DON'T MISS THE SPRING SHOW!"

The AVSM (African Violet Society of Minnesota) is putting on its Spring Show at the Northtown Mall
398 Northtown Dr
Blaine, MN 

The AVSA show and sale start Friday morning at 10:00 am.

The show is April 24-25, 2015 in the Northtown mall by the Best Buy store foyer.

The North Star African Violet Council is now on Facebook!!!! Please come on by and check out our community page! Just search North Star African Violet Council and then hit "like" for our page!

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Now on Facebook and Twitter

We are hitting the modern age! We are now on Twitter NSAVCTC @NSAVCTC and on Face Book at North Star African Violet Council a community page for everyone interested in African violets and other fun things!

Come on and join us for some Violet Fun!

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Blooming Too Soon

Sometimes violets will not automatically bow to your wishes and bloom precisely on time for the big show.

What do you do?

Here is one thing that might slow down a plant that will be in bloom before you wish it to be. This crafty grower put the plant on the basement floor, which is cooler than on the shelves, and not directly under the lights on the stands. You can see the stands to either side of this shot.

Sometimes this will slow the plant down so you will get just the perfect blooms on the days you were hoping for. Other growers turn off lights, or severely reduce the number of hours of light the plants are getting, and some even put them in a dark closet for a few days.

What do you do?

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Day Brighteners

These ought to brighten up a cold morning!

Janice O, sent these photos of some stunningly lovely variegated plants.

Both of these are "oldies but goodies" as the saying goes. Ness' Candy pink was hybridized by Minnesota hybridizer Don Ness in 1995.

This lovely plant by Delores Harrington, also from Minnesota,  was hybridized in 1998.

The variegation on each is striking and the flowers are really complementary with the leaf color.

I should mention that Janice grew these for a fall show. It's sometimes hard to get good looking variegated plants over a hot summer and keep the variegation as nice and evenly colored. In warm weather, variegated African violets may start growing new leaves that are less variegated or even totally green.  Not all variegation is affected by temperature but most seems to be. Once a leaf starts to grow, it will keep the patterning that is on that particular leaf throughout it's little leafy-life. A particular single leaf does not change its appearance. The plant produces leaves and grows (hopefully) continuously and the look and color is reflected in the plant as a whole. So, variegated varieties of plants that grow in cooler circumstances tend to have coloration that displays the variegation more than ones that are grown in warmer circumstances.

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More Bloom Stem Fun, or Genetic Accident in a "Never Floris"

 The previous post was about propagating more plants using a bloom stem.

This plant's version of trying it out is unique to me, but I found a plant that did the job for itself.

This is a very quirky African violet named 'Never Floris'. It never blooms, the buds form and stay that way permanently.

 The first picture shows one of these stems which are quite long. The tweezers is pointing it out for you. The buds apparently didn't form but it made it's own "baby" on the top of the bloom stem.

I've pulled one off to show you how large this thing really is. It's a fully formed small plant with an incredibly long stem.

Very weird.

This shot from above shows that the main plant has 6 or more of these little plants forming the crown of the plant. The true "crown" of newly growing leaves was overcome or shaded out and is now dead. This is what is left.

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How to propagate by using a bloom stem

 So.... You may have heard that you can propagate an African violet by using a bloom stem.

Sometimes this is important to you because certain varieties of African violets do not "come true" or reproduce the same sort of flower if you simply reproduce another plant by rooting a leaf. Chimeras are one type of plant you must either take a sucker from OR start a bloom stem if you want the flowers to have the typical two color or striped pinwheel pattern on them.

To begin, you must put the name of the plant on the pot with permanent marker. No one remembers what that little thing in the unnamed pot is a couple of months down the road. PUT IT'S NAME ON THE POT!

Here you see some bloom stems just taken off the plant with the spent flowers still attached.

 Next you see that the spent flowers are trimmed off and the broken bent stem is trimmed so there is a fresh cut on the bottom of it.

There is still a little flower bud on the lowest one.... that should be taken off too. The stem needs to use it's energy on making roots and not trying to open that flower.

The topmost stem has larger "leaves" on it. The bloom stems that work the best are the ones that have the biggest "leaves" on them because they catch the most light and photosynthesize for the stem. Some varieties of violets produce bloom stems (or peduncles) that have larger green appendages ("leaves") and some produce ones that are almost nonexistent. Now, after the stems are in the soil, you water the pot and keep the pot moist but not soaking wet. Covering with a loose Baggie or a dome keeps up humidity. Many people prefer keeping newly starting plants covered till the new "babies" are 1/2 to 1" tall.

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Bubble Gum Charm

Bubble Gum Charm Large, single, creamy light pink stars, shimmer and boast darker pink edges, that are also outlined with darker pink flecks. Flowers stand proudly above the large growing, medium green, tailored foliage.

I  am a big fan of this particular violet. It's got the greatest color combination and it lays very flat.

Also notice, the petals are fused until just near the outer edge of the flower, making a saucer shape. Not all violets are like that.

Even the flowers have the "hair" on them?

This is a fading blossom but pretty anyway. The flowers last a long time and are nicely large.

It puts on a good show!

 I can't help but love that you can see some of the pollen on the exterior of the anthers. Also you can see some of the "shimmer" or sparkle of the flower. 

I know you want one! Lyndon Lyons is one of the vendors that carries this variety.

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Show at Bachman's Tomorrow and Sunday!

It's Show Time again! The North Star African Violet Council is having their fall show at Bachman's Garden Center on Lyndale in the Heritage Room!
That's in Minneapolis on 60th and Lyndale Ave.

Loooookie loo at the pretty plants!

 We've got lots of pretty violets to see and for sale.

Come on down and visit. The store is also having their Gathering of Friends Antique sale too. Something for everyone!

 A couple of pretty plants here. This is a chimera and edged. Wow.

 I must have liked chimeras today. But another pinwheel with an edge. Nice flower for a cold and windy day.

The winner's table with the best plants, designs and gesneriads from the show.

Lots to see.

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Upcoming Shows!

Just a little bloom to help you THINK SPRING!

There are two upcoming shows in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota area in about a month!

The AVSM show April 11-12, 2014 at the Har Mar Mall. Look for us at a new location down toward Staples!

The Twin Cities Gesneriad Society show is also coming up on April 26-27, 2014 at the Bachman's on Lyndale in the Heritage room. 

Plants, plants, plants..... Join us at both shows and then prepare yourselves for the National Orchid Society show which will be hosted in the Twin Cities this year the weekend after the Gesneriad show! It's a great spring for plant lovers!

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Fall Show

The North Star African Violet Council is having their annual fall show and plant sale at Bachman's on Lyndale, Minneapolis, MN on Saturday October 5, and Sunday October 6, 2013.

Hours are Saturday 9 to 5 and Sunday 11 to 4 pm.

Come and get out of the rain! Violet fun for everyone!

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State Fair Show 2013

 It's State Fair time again!


Enjoy some pix of the African violet show in the Horticulture Building now showing Thurs. and Friday August 22-23, 2013.

 AVSA table....

 Some pretty plants!

 Streptocarpus for everyone!

 Best in Show plants!

Congratulations to all!

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African violet 'Irish Laughter', 'Splatter Kake'

 Just a quick update to tell you we're back. Between some trouble with the Google blogs and a little trouble with photos to post it's been a while. Sorry

But now! Let's have some more African violet fun!

This is 'Irish Laughter'. I've always been a big fan of the green flowers and this one has it all!

 It's got the really nicely frilled double flowers, with a wavy edge of bright green! It's also got lots of blooms even when the plant is relatively small.

My grandma was going to violet meetings in the 60's and 70's when they were just dreaming of green blooms. It was one of her biggest wishes to get a hold of one something like this.

 This one is in a pot that says 'Arctic Frost'... haha. Someone has been mixing up the labels again and I'm going to blame the cats.

Nonetheless, it's bright and pretty in the middle of a cold day in winter.

I only had two of the aging blooms of 'Splatter Kake' left but I like to think this has all the mutations anyone would ever want. The Geneva edge, the fantasy speckles, the star shaped bloom etc.

It's hybridized by Bann, a Minnesotan too! Not bad eh?

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And we do answer questions too! Thanks for the patience.

SHOW!

Fall SHOW and sale at Bachman's on Lyndale, MPLS today from 9:00am  to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Come on down and see the really great looking violets and Gesneriads and check out the sale table! Lot's to choose from, especially the semi-minis and minis!

Commuity Education!

Well.... we've got a Gesneriad and African violet related community education class coming up in October!

This will be a grand experiment to see if we get enough interested people to have the class take place, but it's the first step to seeing if this works!

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Congratulations Kathy Lahti for Best In Show at Nationals 2012!

The North Star African Violet Council and all the violet folks in Minnesota would like to extend their most enthusiastic CONGRATULATIONS to Kathy Lahti for winning BEST IN SHOW at the AVSA Annual Convention 2012!!!!

Kathy won with African violet 'Eternal Orbit'.

Not only are Kathy's plants excellently grown but I'm always amazed that you can travel for hundreds of miles with a plant like this that is so perfect and get it to the show looking like this!

Congrats!

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Lyon's 'Lavender Magic'

 Saw this the other day and I was chuckling. I've heard over and over you don't want the parent leaf to use all of its energy growing, you want it to use the time to make roots and babies.

 This leaf started out as a normal size leaf less than three inches across. It's petiole was also a normal size roughly 1/8 inch is diameter. It got stuck into a solo cup and tucked into the back of a prop box.

It came out of the prop box because it was overtaking it's neighbors!!!! I think it was trying to eat them or something.

It's over 7 inches across the leaf and the petiole is over a half inch in diameter. Wow. Now we'll see if it starts to put up some babies. Maybe they will be mutant extra large or something!

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More Unusual Streptocarpus Reproduction....

Now here's something you don't see everyday on your average Streptocarpus! It's got a stem. Streptocarpus usually do not have stems that are visible above the ground and are referred to as 'acaulescent'.

Here we've got the little stem with leaves planted in a Solo cup with some soil mix. Let's hope it roots and we can see what becomes of this rather interesting offshoot.

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Unusual Streptocarpus Reproduction

Streptocarpus are a fiberous rooted member of the Gesneriad family. They usually reproduce by rather conventional means such as seeds and the occasional leaf cutting. But here are two very different methods that the strep has chosen to ensure that it's DNA isn't lost. In the first photo a very distressed strep is trying to think of anything it can to keep alive. You can see from the poor leaf quality and the darkened base that this plant was probably severely over watered and was just hanging on by a thread.You will note in the above photo that the center leaf is starting to produce new leaves. These are NOT flower buds. Normally, a strep will make a row of buds running up the leaf starting at the base, but these are new leaves trying to form. The front leaf to the left side of center has more of the baby leaves that are a bit larger. It's definitely a last ditch effort to reproduce before dying.

This photo also shows an unusual method for a strep to reproduce, but it's the opposite of the top photo. It's living conditions are so very favorable that it's sending out babies along the roots that were in the wick-watering pot. In this case, the plant is already doing so well it's figuring that it should just keep on sending out bits of itself to grow since it's life is so easy and everything is provided.

It would be an interesting experiment to see if the baby plants along the roots were able to be potted up. As far as I know it wasn't tried with this plant. Thanks to Sharon for providing this happy plant for us to look at!

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