When you ask someone about African violets, many times they will reminisce about a glorious, healthy plant in their grandmother’s kitchen window, covered with vibrant purple blossoms.
However, with names like Lyon’s Private Dancer or Wrangler’s Gaudy Lady, today’s hybrids ain’t your granny’s flower.
With nearly 30,000 unique hybrids out there, a person can grow violets in sunset pinks and ocean blues, peachy corals and snowy whites. Blooms can be simple and resemble pansies or have so many petals and ruffled edges they can look like a flamenco dancer’s skirt perched atop rosette-shaped plants.
The Magic Knight African Violet Society is a local club whose members share their love of growing and propagating these stereotypically boring plants with the world. Members of the MKAVS are busy preparing for the 2024 MKAVS African Violet Show and Sale on April 5-6 in the Patrick Heath Library community rooms. Though the date may sound distant, the time to start growing African violets is now, according to Summer Holladay, group member.
One of the ways the MKAVS shares these charming plants is by holding their African Violet Show and Sale each spring. Club members spend months — a minimum of 3 1/2 months, but usually more like six, Holladay said — grooming and preparing plants, using “secret” tools of the trade (or not-so-secret tools, like leaf supports, tweezers, and moisture meters), carefully monitoring overall plant health.
Leaves can be light or dark, plain or variegated, with mixes of pink and green and white.
For the casual grower, African Violets are pretty much like any other plant, from the standpoint of there are certain rules, and if followed, the likely result is a robust plant that blooms year round. The biggest problem with these lovelies? You’re in danger of getting addicted to other members of the gesneriad family, from tiny sinningias, to orchid-like streptocarpus, or the lesser-known easy-going kohleria.
Established in May 1975, Boerne’s MKAVS is an educational affiliate chapter of the African Violet Society of America.
The theme of this year’s African Violets show and sale is perfectly tailored for the Hill Country: “Violets in the Fiesta Parade.”
The show room, where plants are judged by nationally certified AVSA judges, is open for public viewing with free admission from 1-4 p.m. on April 5 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 6.
For those wanting to start a collection of these cheerful plants, the sale hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 5 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 6. Hundreds of named varieties in countless colors will be available, as well as some other gesneriads.
If you can’t make it to the show, but want to learn more about African violets, the MKAVS meets at the library on the first Monday of each month at 10 a.m., providing special presentations each time regarding growing violets, propagation, showing, and even special interest topics like putting your plants in a state of stasis.
For details about MKAVS or the spring show, contact Holladay at 830-328-1268, or email club President Irene Harney at: [email protected].
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