a few words about violets January 24, 2008
Posted by Sandy in a small garden in maine, photographs.trackback
I have a Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar hanging above my sewing table. My friend Hazel got it for me at Christmas. It is neat because it has so many little interesting facts about things I am interested in. The page for January features African Violets. Until today, I did not know they are also called Saintpaulia after the man who discovered them in Kenya in 1892. He was the Baron Walter von Saint-Paul. After learning that, I found more information about them here. I am thinking that I would like to add a true blue and a yellow plant to my collection. The photos here are the same plant, but taken with different cameras. I modified the second shot using the cartoon filter in the GIMP program. It will look printed in a smaller size on some linen card stock I have.
Thanks for an interesting post. I have two the color you have pictured here. They bloom like crazy in the winter but summer time they rather get neglected at times!
I buy the garden catalogue from Old Farmer’s Almanac each year, Sandy, but this year I’m a bit disappointed in it. Normally the right side of the page is taken up with a really useful article, but this time they spread the whole month over the two columns flanking the picture, and while that’s interesting, it’s not the same.
Love this violet you’ve photographed, for sure.
jodi, i wish I had seen it the other way. The same thing happened to me with the Herb Quarterly. I got it this year after a gap of quite a few years. It used to be a classy looking magazine, but now is just plain ugly, and mostly ads.
Christine, mine are just the opposite! I wonder if it is location? mine are in an east window, over the sink, so they get lots of humidity.
I love African Violets. Unfortunately, my love for them seems to be an evil love. I do not take good care of them. However, I have one AV that is forgiven and seems to be a bit of a masochist — it thrives for me anyway. I’m convinced that if I would only feed and water it regularly, it might bloom again. I think AV’s might do well in my classroom. I should give it a try.
(Oh yea, I totally agree about Herb Quarterly — I used to love that mag and now it’s just fire starter!)
Very pretty. I think it’s time we all should start photographing flowers again!
Love ‘em, but can’t grow ‘em!
The farmer’s almanac gardening calendar is a favorite of mine too.
Mine has buds but not blooming yet. It will be good to see a wee bit of color again.
Sandy, that is a good point about window location. I just might try to find another spot for them. thanks!
Beautiful shade of pink! I love them in my windowsill, along with geraniums I grow there all year around.