Saintpaulia...still blooming...

One of my favorite shades of pink....very healthy looking

Very pretty pink Lori............

Thanks Milky and Skippy... the flowers are like anemones...five petals but round not triangular. There are so many great ones around these days that I get a little carried away and want to buy every one I see! my latest is the lovely lavender blue with white edges on the petals.

My pink is just starting up. It does have the triangle petals. Blooming nice but the plants a bit leggy.

Lori:

It is one persistent bloomer! Beautiful plant.
You just gave me a good idea by looking at this plant photo...to use Saintpaulia as a ground cover...with mixed color varieties.

Ohhhh! How I envy you! What a great idea.... GT has pics of a mini that spreads like wild fire...you should check them out...only problem is that they won't tolerate any kind of foot traffic... but, in pockets on the side of a hill...or in the bole of tree roots they would be just super!! Your garden will be an oasis of exotics!! can't wait to see how this turns out D1!...

Lori:

I've seen Greenthumb's African Violets...they are so beautiful and healthy.

I would only use African Violets as a small ground cover in a planter area.
They definitely would not tolerate foot-traffic nor direct Sun...as they would burn up quickly. They are generally used in shaded patio situations which is the best protections from the elements. We grow many African Violet relatives here in San Diego...they need shade, however, do very well outdoors in the ground. Our hard water doesn't even seem to bother them.

Thanks D1....GT and I both grow the little miniatures I think I can say that we are both devotees...the plants are so tiny but they produce a mountain of blossom and the plant that GT has spreads! I've kept mine in individual pots so I don't have that experience...but after seeing them planted up in a tray I'm going to try that too! speaking of African violet relatives I am a gesneriad fan...especially streptocarpus...haven't owned any in years(except the saintpaulias) just haven't had the time or ambition required to keep a collection going. Another that I love, which makes a wonderful ball of blossom when planted on a wire sphere, is Achimenes... I had a white one with a purple throat and the lower, larger petals were fringed! it was gorgeous...and another that makes a better house plant is Episcia...I think the var. I had was "Chocolate Soldier" the leaves are amazingly irridescent and the flowers are shaped like the Achimenes but are a zingy vibrant orange-red. Once did a semester project on home culture of saintpaulias...and part of it was cross-pollenating and producing seed which I planted. I produced only 8 or 10 plants out of the (seeming) thousands of extremely fine seed (like dust) It was a great learning experience... I didn't complete the whole cycle during the school year as it takes the pods nine months to grow and mature. I was living in Guelph, Ontario at the time and their water is as hard as it gets... the municipal water supply comes from artesian wells in the limestone bedrock... and you are so right..it never bothered my gesneriads one bit!...

Lori:

If you love plants in the Gesneriaceae family. Check out my friend's nursery in Northern San Diego County. Kartuz Greenhouses, he's certified to ship all over the World. He has a huge selection of Gesneriads.

Uh-oh...I'm in trouble. I think I have mentioned in different threads that we are selling our house here in Eastern Ontario and we will be moving...but as of yet we haven't positively settled on any particular area...when I get the move out of the way and finally get settled your friend will be hearing from me for sure... It would be perfect if we could find a house with a small greenhouse ...if not, I'll be building one in short order! this year promises to be full of changes...maybe I'll be able to resume my gesneriad obsession. lol...

Lori:

I wish you well with your move! I hate moving!

I especially hate moving a lot of plants...when I moved to my current house, it was like moving a botanical garden...everyone in the neighborhood thought we were strange moving thousands of plants.

I'm with you there D1....I've already joked about hiring two moving vans...one for the move and one for the garden! lol... I have so many things that have a personal meaning to them...

Lori:

You may be joking...however, I had two large truck loads, one house items the second plants...and many, many, many other small truck, car loads of plants. I thought it would never end...and I only moved 2 1/2 miles from my other house.