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| Photo Credit: Donna W. Moramarco |
| With such interesting foliage and pretty flowers, it’s no wonder African violets are such popular houseplants! |
African violets (Saintpaulia sp.) are one of my favorite houseplants! I know I’m not alone in my preference because as an extension agent I received many a phone call from distressed “indoor gardeners” about how to care for them. It’s easy to enjoy the flowers of these tropical plants in beautiful shades of white, purple and pink. But as beautiful as African violets are, they can be equally as tricky to grow. So here are a few helpful hints to keep your African violets happy and healthy!
To begin, sunlight is key. Many indoor houseplants are prized for their ability to grow in low-light conditions, but African violets just aren’t one of them. In fact, they grow and flower best when they have full sun indoors. This means you should position them within 4 feet of a south-, east-, or west-facing window. And while full sun is great, too much of a good thing is bad. So try to keep them out of direct sunlight in the afternoon if possible. Your violets will “tell” you if they’re not getting enough light when their leaves become thin and dark green. Also, the stalks of the leaves (petioles) will elongate because the plant will actually try to stretch itself to get more light! Insufficient light is also the main reason African violets fail to flower. All it may take to jumpstart the blooms on your favorite African violet is moving it to a sunnier spot! Getting sufficient light isn’t the only quirk about African violets. Watering also poses some challenges. This seemingly easy task is one surrounded by myths when it comes to these tropical plants. Have you ever heard that you have to water African violets from the bottom? Not true. Equally misleading is the idea that watering over the leaves will cause the leaves to die.
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