I am still 'GROWING VIOLETS'!

I am still growing African violets ... and selling!
I became interested in breeding canaries, and that took some of my attention away from the violets!
:)
But my shelves are filling up with violets again!
Most of my business last year was locally....but this fall will see me back on Ebay!
I will post here when I list violets!
Here is a link to my Ebay feedback as a seller of African violets:
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=funandfancyflowers&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&searchInterval=30

Blaine County Fair booth... It was fun!

THANKS to everyone who stopped by to say HI and talk 'African violets'!
It was fun!

(Sorry, the photo is 'tweaked' just a bit.  I took two photos with my cheap-o phone and then used my photo software to automatically 'stich' the two together.  It did pretty good, but some of the lines are off!)

THANKS to everyone who stopped by!

The Montana Seed Show held in Harlem was great!  I had lots of fun meeting African violet growers along the northern part of Montana! 
Thanks for everything!

My house is overflowing with babies!

The first week in January.... I potted up 70 African violet babies from the mama leaves.
The last week of January.... I potted up another 85 little plantlets.
Now there are more that need to go into their own individual pots!!!

And my plant stands are overflowing!

So, I am getting ready for some "housecleaning"!

I am having a SALE!!!

Current For Sale 

Here are photos of mama leaves and babies:

 I have 7 of these trays.... so far!!! Yikes!!!

 

 

2011-12 Basic Culture Brochure

Click here to view our
2011-12 Basic Culture Brochure as a pdf file.

A new look and a new purpose!

We have a NEW LOOK and a new purpose to this blog!
This blog will be the 'storefront' for Fun and Fancy Flowers.
We will be selling locally, and distributing flyers to our repeat customers, but this site will be a 'reference source' for variety descriptions, availability, etc.
Please note:  Mrs John's AV blog posts have been moved and are now part of the Montana Ranch Blog!!

Watering.... more important than you might think!

The Golden Rule to the Enjoyment of African violets is "Grow only the number you have time to care for." (Laurie's blog)

The Golden Rule to Healthy African violets is "Correct watering is the most important thing you can do for a healthy violet."

In my experience, I have found:

if your violets don't bloom, adjust the amount of light or how you
fertilize,
BUT, if your violets are dying, it is most likely you
need to correct your watering habits or methods.

We all know there are many ways to water our plants: wicking, bottom watering, top watering, self-watering pot, to name a few of the most popular. The method that is best for you will depend upon the conditions of your growing area (humidity, temperature, amount of light), soil mix, the amount of time you have to spend on your violets, and the number of plants you grow.

But half the fun of African violets is the learning, the experiences, and the things you learn!

For my house conditions, and my habits, I have developed some general things which work well for my plants, IF I do them.

I do 3 things to make sure my violets are watered correctly:

1) I use the same soil mix in all my plants: mama leaves, babies, large plants, and even my other houseplants.
2) I use pots of certain sizes for certain sizes of plants:

* Any violet plant that is rapidly putting out new blooms or new roots is planted in a pot that allows 'toe room'. This means that starter plants that have begun to really grow up fast are given a pot that allows space for roots to fill, and larger mature plants also need a bit of extra soil to hold water between watering days.
* Any violet plant that is slowly growing or has a small root system is planted in a pot that 'pinches toes'. This means that tiny babies are transplanted in small pots. Slow growing varieties, weak or ill plants also need small pots. Small pots on these plants mean there is not extra soil to hold more moisture than the weak root systems can use.

3) I water all my plants on the same day! (By watering on the same day, I don't mean on the same day every week, although I often do water on Mondays. That isn't what I meant.)

When I do water, whatever that day is, I water ALL my violets. I have found that if I set aside a tray of babies or several pots to 'water tomorrow', I may forget them and they go without water until their wilting catches my attention. If I do remember them several days later, these trays or pots will be 'out of schedule' and will not need watering when the rest of the plants do, and next week I will have two watering days.)

I have found that if I do the first two things, the third is easy to do. If I use the same soil mix in all my plants, and use a correct size of pot for each type of plant, I can water everything all at once... and every plant is happy!

If a plant gets thirsty before the rest of the plants on a shelf, or in a tray... it needs potting up into a larger pot. If a plant is still moist when everything else is ready for water, it is probably in a pot that is too large.

Every time I try to 'compromise' on these three things, I have problems! If I follow them, and water at least once a week in the summer, my violets are happy!
1) I use the same soil mix in all my plants.

2) I use pots of certain sizes for certain sizes of plants.
3) I water all my plants on the same day!

Instant Gratification -or- My Frustration!

We've all heard the term 'instant gratification'. It is often used like this: 'In this modern age, too many people are used to getting what they what, when they want it, and at any cost.' I have heard people actually boast of behaving in this way: "I wanted it right now, so I just went ahead and bought it." or "I saw that beautiful quilt and asked around the show until I found one for sale. Boy, I wish I could sew something beautiful like that."

I enjoyed the first part of an article, It Takes Time by Nan Russell:

The story goes that after one of Ludwig van Beethoven's performances, several people were offering
him their congratulations, when one woman commented, "I wish God had bestowed me with such genius." "It isn't genius, madam, nor is it magic." Beethoven replied. "All you have to do is practice on your piano eight hours a day for 40 years."

That's not the message most people want to hear. Most people would prefer to buy the magazine which headlines, "Miracle Weight Loss Discovery," in the hopes of finding a quick solution before their class reunion,
rather than start a daily diet and exercise program. They'd sooner check out a seminar promising, "become a millionaire within months" rather than start a debt reduction, monthly savings plan. And they'd rather put their future hopes in a weekly lottery ticket than in themselves.

It's an instant messaging, plug-and-play world. Too often we bring that instant gratification thinking into
our workplace. We have little patience for the business idea that doesn't show an immediate return. We aren't interested in learning how to do something; we just want to do it. We don't want to hit the singles, just the home runs. We want mastery, money and success. And we want it now.

..... People who are winning at working ... know what happens to them, is up to them. Just like a house is built stone-by-stone, they know they build their own work success step-by-step. They know it takes time, and they use that time wisely.

Personally, I think we all have been tempted to 'GET' something already created, when we could just as easily 'WORK' at creating the same for ourselves. Sometimes, I wonder if we don't excuse ourselves by saying: 'I need a little treat for myself' or 'I don't do this too
often' or the one I find myself using: 'I don't do many other extravagant things!'

In an African Violet perspective, this 'instant gratification' can border on 'addiction'. And particularily when buying new plants. And I am not talking about buying more plants than will fit in your house. That is a different subject altogether.. that is insanity! ;)

I have recently been horrified by the high prices people seem willing to pay for African violet plants and leaves on Ebay. Okay, I understand the desire to have a certain variety, and the real need to bid when there is something beautiful. That is addiction too... addiction to Ebay, that thrill of getting a bargin and of bidding wars.
But the thing that makes it so terrible to me is the fact that the same variety is most often available from an African Violet vendor, at much cheaper prices!

I have heard the arguement that it is nice to see what size of plant you are buying... but I have seen Ebay auctions go sky high even without a photo of the plant. In several instances, the varieties was indeed hard to find, but many Ebay descriptsions say HTF, when the same variety is listed on more than one online AV catalog.

I don't consider spending the high price the terrible part... if someone truely wants a certain variety and it TRUELY IS NOT AVAILABLE anywhere else, I say 'go for it'. My price threshhold is not very high, but then again it has not been tested by an Ebay auction for a variety that was NOT available elsewhere.
In all but one or two cases of the last 30 or more I checked, HTF varieties on Ebay were NOT that HARD TO FIND!

I just had to vent my frustration!

WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE DOUBLE-CHECK other sources, ESPECIALLY when the prices GETS OVER $20 or higher????!!!!!!

I have a great example:

Last month, I followed Alana's link to the winners of last year's AVSA National Convention Show... and fell in love with Rose Buddies. I had no idea there was such a neat yellow-flowering violet! The first thing I did was a search using African Violet Search.. with not much results showing up there. I did an Ebay search and, if I were to believe the prices there, would have expected it to be one that is HTF and always with a high price.

Then, within one week, I received two vendor catalogs in the mail that listed Rose Buddies leaves.. one at $2.75 per leaf packet of two leaves, and the other at $1.00 a leaf! I promptly emailed Violet Gallery and asked if they had 4 leaves of Rose Buddies available. They said yes, so I ordered 2 leaf packets! A few days later, I received a wonderful PLANT of Rose Buddies!

The plant has three leaves that are hanging way out to one side, but to me they are saying 'pick me.. to plant' ! So I have three leaves to plant AND a nice, well-rooted plant of an age to begin to bloom very, very soon!

So, once again, I say:

Check the AV vendors... and don't pay HIGH prices for plants and leaves,
if you don't have to!

(maybe I should add a disclaimer: "My opinons only" if I post a topic like this? But, remember, that is what this diary is for! ) :)