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Dig This: Gardening Notes

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 12, 2008

Gesneriads provide a lot of beauty with minimal labor, possibly second only to succulents.

Most people are familiar with the most popular gesneriad, the African violet,

but there are more than 165 varieties, says JoAnne Martinez, president of the Tampa Bay Gesneriad Society.

Martinez has about 150

gesneriad plants in her home. She suggests finding them through vendors listed

on the African violet and

gesneriad societies' Web sites - www.avsa.org and www.gesneriadsociety.org.

Despite making minimal demands of their owners, gesneriads can be killed quickly by overwatering. When the soil becomes dry, place the pot in a tray of water, allowing the plant to soak up moisture.

Gesneriads like to spread their roots, so start with a small pot and increase the size as your plant grows. A light soil is also important. Martinez recommends mixing half African violet potting soil with half-perlite.

African Violet

The stars of the family, African violets give off the most blooms. They like to be grown indoors in temperatures comfortable to us.

When grown on a windowsill or in artificial lighting, they can bloom all year. If you would prefer to plant them outdoors, provide ample shade.

Saintpaulia

Chicago Flair

Named for the winning plant at the Chicago National African Violet Convention, these are also from the African violet family. The variegated leaves make for a beautiful plant even without blossoms.

For propagation, When propagating, it's best to use the leaf with the most green to ensure plenty of chlorophyll in the plant.

Gasteranthus Atratus

These beauties are believed to be extinct in the wild. They enjoy shade or low lighting, and throw lemon-yellow blossoms.

They thrive in high humidity and do well in terrariums.
Streptocarpus
Don't be alarmed when these aren't growing during the summer. They aren't big fans of high temperatures and won't even grow much indoors when outdoor conditions are heating up.

The key to getting them to survive the summer months is to keep from overwatering. Water only when the leaves appear slightly limp, and you'll have beautiful blossoms when the weather cools off.

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