The Secret to Beautiful Violets, a Beginner’s Odyssey

By Cindy Brooks

I’ve been searching for this article. The one thing I can do to insure my plants are the very best. I’ve looked in the library, the internet, books and magazines and asked every seasoned grower I know. What is the secret to growing these amazing plants?

I was told to start with good plants. Well, that’s easy. There are always opportunities to buy nice plants and I certainly availed myself of this option. In fact, I very quickly had a decent collection. But they didn’t thrive or last long.

Join a club. I was amazed at the talent and wealth of knowledge I found. Also, it is no coincidence that my plant repotting dates are shortly after the day of the month our club meetings fall on. Motivation abounds after spending time with other people who are as interested in violets as I am. Still my plants weren’t the show plants I desired.

Well, I need a plant stand, of course. My husband balked at the cost. “You want to spend how much?” So I made do with window growing. My plants did pretty well, but I’m sure I’d do so much better with a lighted plant stand.

Soil improvements were another suggestion. Add more perlite I was told and you must sift your perlite. Try these self watering pots, that’ll help. One more improvement to my growing conditions and I am starting to see results. This is encouraging. But still I am having problems. Yellow tipped leaves, green soil, and uneven growth. More answers at the next club meeting.

Too much fertilizer I was told. OK, try alternating. Better. You must rotate your plants that will help with the uneven growth and you need to groom. Also, better. Physan 20? Yes, I found this product. It helps. Then an excellent grower gave me some alarming advice. Throw out your sad plants and don’t look back. This turns out to be really good advice. Now, I spend my time and effort on worthy plants.

Things are looking up. Then I was gifted with a used, lighted plant stand. What joy! A little bit of repair and I am up and growing. My plants are very happy. Healthy plants, vibrant green leaves. Alas, no flowers. I am looking forward to that next meeting where I will find advice, encouragement and answers.

I believe the secret to beautiful violets is to keep trying, keep learning and go to club meetings. I’ll get there eventually.