‘Psychedelic Rose’; ‘Kristi’s Spunk’, ‘Esmeralda’, and a group shot.
The wild ancestors of cultivated African violets hail from montane and coastal forests in Tanzania and Kenya, usually in rocky crevices alongside streams. Cultivated hybrid varieties have retained a need for mild temperatures, filtered light, and relatively confined growing spaces. Luckily for them, this makes them ideal houseplants.
One thing that tends to surprise people who’ve never seen a well-grown African violet is how wide some of them can get, reaching 16" or more in diameter in the larger varieties. In practice, this can be difficult to achieve; my pets usually manage to knock my plants off the windowsill at least once a month, and of course, in less than ideal growing conditions, older leaves tend to acquire damage that makes them drop prematurely. There’s also a shape issue. AVs grow in flat rosettes, and will tend to tilt towards their light source. If you have them on a windowsill, they need to be regularly rotated to keep them symmetrical. If you really want a big, flat, show quality plant, your best bet is to grow them under lights.
Up until recently, I haven’t really had the opportunity to try AVs under lights. When we started the seedlings indoors, I decided to put a few on the shelves with them. These are the first round of blooms from this group. I can’t yet say there’s a huge difference between their growth and blooming and that of the windowsill guys, but they certainly do have nicer leaves, being well-insulated from heat, cold drafts, and excited dogs. I look forward to seeing them develop.
Kihaku-Gato's Garden Blog (tumblr import) 