Flowers often correspond to their names, and the Saintpaulias of the “Love” series fully correspond to this word . Unsurpassed and incredibly delicate flowers with beautiful leaves.
Every florist who deals with violets cannot pass by these beauties. Before adopting a new pet, it is important to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of care and all the nuances of its growth and development. Below we will tell you about the varieties of violets AB-Lyubov, EK-Lyubov, Lyubov Orlova, Emerald Love, EK-Crazy Love: photos and descriptions, subtleties of care and maintenance.
Violet AV-Lubov (Violetkovod)
AV-Lubov is an Uzambara violet, a genus of hybrid Saintpaulia from the Gesneriev family. Bred by a breeder who goes by the pseudonym “Violet Grower” in 2013.
The flowers are large, double, reminiscent of a rose , have a corrugated edge and a green border. They are collected in several pieces on strong peduncles, which allows the bush to bloom in a cap in most cases.
The socket is quite smooth and of standard size. The leaves are large, dark green with a red underside.
The leaves are round in shape, slightly wavy along the edges with a heart-shaped base, and quite succulent. The cuttings are medium-sized, rather thick.
Features of care
AB-Lubov does not require special care , all maintenance conditions are standard for all Saintpaulias:
- lighting – bright, but without direct sunlight;
- temperature – 16-24°. In winter, it is ideal to maintain within 18°, but not drop below 14°. In summer, the maximum level is 26°, and the optimal is 24°;
Important! The green border appears well if during flowering the temperature is reduced and the rosette is moved to a more shaded place.
- watering – moderate, as needed:
- using classical methods - in a tray or under leaves. Watering frequency - once a week in the summer, and one and a half to two weeks in the winter: in the first option, water is added to the stand and after 20 minutes the excess is drained;
- in the second option, watering is carried out directly on the ground, avoiding contact with the leaves; excess water from the pan is also drained after watering.
Reviews
Alina. “At the first flowering it turned out not very frilly and without a border, I think the reason is the heat that was at that time. But I was very pleased with the shape of the flowers, pink-shaped and very decorative, they bloom like real roses - very gradually unfolding petal by petal.”
Ilya. “The flowering is simply incomparable, delicate flowers with beautiful color and shape. But my socket itself is finicky and always tries to lift the leaves up, I plan to try placing it under the lamps.”
Drought-resistant steppe plants with flowers
This chapter lists steppe flowers with names that do not tolerate stagnant moisture.
Adonis (ADONIS). Ranunculaceae family.
Adonis vernalis (A. vernalis) is an elegant spring plant of the steppes of Europe and Siberia. It is a perennial with a short rhizome and branched stems, forming a bush 20-30 cm high. The leaves are light green, thinly divided.
The flowers are single, bright yellow, up to 8 cm in diameter, shiny and very elegant. Adonis blooms in early spring (late April - early May).
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with rich, loose, alkaline soils, well drained. This drought-resistant steppe plant with flowers does not tolerate stagnant water.
Reproduction. Preferably by seeds, as it does not tolerate dividing the bush well. The seeds do not germinate quickly throughout the year. Sow freshly harvested. Planting density - 5-6 bushes per 1 m2.
Adonis is a difficult plant to cultivate and is a subject for experienced hobbyists. But if planted correctly, it can decorate a flower garden for 10-15 years without replanting.
Anaphalis. Family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).
Two species of this drought-resistant steppe plant growing in East Asia and North America are cultivated. A bush with erect stems 50-80 cm high, with white-tomentose pubescence on stems, leaves and flowers. The leaves are narrow, linear, entire. At the ends of the shoots there are small silvery baskets in a corymbose inflorescence. Easily self-seeding.
Types and varieties:
Anaphalis three-veined (A. triplinervis) - with larger leaves.
Pearl anafalis (A. margaritacea) - leaves are smaller.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with dry neutral soils.
Reproduction. By dividing the bush (spring, late summer), by seeds (sowing before winter). Transplantation and division after 3-4 years. Planting density -9 pcs. per 1 m2.
Used in mixed flower beds, mixborders, and rockeries.
Goniolimon (GONIOLIMON). Lead family.
Steppe and semi-desert perennials, typical “tumbleweeds”, forming a dense spherical bush 10-40 cm high from highly branched inflorescences and oblong ovate leaves collected in a ground rosette.
Look at the photo: these steppe flowers, which are silvery “balls,” can decorate any flower garden on dry soil and a winter bouquet.
Types and varieties:
Beautiful goniolimon (G. speciosum) - rosette leaves are round, bluish, the inflorescence is in the shape of an “antler”.
Tatarian goniolimon (G. tataricum) - leaves are ovoid, pointed, the inflorescence is looser, corymbose.
Growing conditions. Sunny areas with deep, well-drained soils with added sand. They do not tolerate stagnant moisture. Salinity resistant.
Reproduction. Preferably by seeds, seedlings bloom in the 2-3rd year, it is better to replant young plants. Cuttings are possible in the spring. Planting density is single.
An excellent plant for rockeries or as tapeworms on dry slopes, against the background of an inert layer (crushed stone or gravel). They are also used in arrangements, especially in winter bouquets.
Violet EK-Love (E. Korshunova)
EK-Lyubov is a variety of Uzambara violets, bred by Elena Vasilievna Korshunova . The violet belongs to the genus Saintpaulia hybrida from the Gesneriev family.
The author herself positions this variety as an exhibition standard. The leaves are medium sized, on strong roots. The color of the leaves is deep green, round in shape with slight wavy edges.
This variety blooms ; several buds are formed on low, strong peduncles. The flowers are double and very large, the edges are strongly corrugated. The color of the flowers is a little intricate , the cherry center of the petals is framed on all sides by a white border and base.
Features of care
The care conditions for this variety have no special features and correspond to standard care for Saintpaulias :
- temperature and lighting : the light should be bright, but diffused, and the temperature should be moderate, on average 16-24° (less in winter and more in summer);
- Watering and fertilizing are carried out using two main methods: water is added to the tray (under the leaves) once a week - in the summer and a little less often in the winter. After watering, excess water is drained 20 minutes after the procedure. Fertilizers are applied periodically, approximately once every 2-3 weeks, depending on the season (through watering), and the dosage is halved;
- wick - the cord is placed in a pot and brought out through a drainage hole, a container with water is placed under the flowerpot. There is always water in the container, and fertilizers are constantly there, and its concentration decreases by 7-8 times, relative to the instructions.
Important! The amount of white on the petals depends on temperature and light, the colder and less light the smaller the cherry spot.
Reviews
Lyudmila. “The rosette is very neat, despite the fact that it is on the windowsill, it does not twist the leaves or stretch. The first bloom was average, there were few flowers, and they were not very large, and the white part was negligible. During the second flowering, I changed the growing conditions, shaded it a little and lowered the temperature, after which the very large flowers from the second bloom gave beautiful white frames.”
Ksenia. “I bought a baby EK-Lyubov, it grew very slowly, maybe my conditions are not quite right, maybe it’s just the variety that grows that way. The first flowering occurred in autumn and was sparse, the flowers were small and there were few of them. The second did not take long to happen and already in the spring I saw her in all her glory. Lush flowers with beautiful color and beautiful ruffles.”
Photos and description of the White Queen variety
There are few varieties of violets with pure white flowers, and among them the White Queen is a clear favorite. The author of the variety is Elena Korshunova. Violet is distinguished by its huge snow-white pom-pom flowers. The diameter of the flowers is 7 - 7.5 centimeters. Long peduncles cannot hold dense flowers of this size and droop under their weight.
Flowering is wavy, each period is about two months long. Each flower lives for two weeks. The rosette produces a lot of buds, so during the full bloom of the flowers the rosette is completely covered by them.
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The White Queen violet rosette is large, 27-30 centimeters in diameter. The leaves are medium green, with a shiny surface, quilted. The shape of the leaves is pointed. The growth of the rosette is slow.
Violet White Queen is prone to producing sports with various shades of pink flowers. Sport EK-Charmel, with rich pink colors, is official.
Violet Lyubov Orlova (I. Kirillova)
Lyubov Orlova is a Saintpaulia bred by breeder I. Kirillova . Class Gesneriev, genus of hybrid Saintpaulias.
The rosette exceeds the standards in size and, under favorable conditions, grows very quickly. It maintains symmetry well , but the leaves tend to droop down. The leaves are large, fleshy, quilted, rounded with slight waviness and a slight point at the end. The leaf color is dark green.
The flowers are very large, up to 6 cm, double with a slight ruffle along the edge , the shape of the flowers is very delicate, they resemble small pink clouds. The color is pale pink, with a white border, which is very difficult to notice due to the pallor of the base color.
Powerful flower stalks rise slightly above the bush, forming a beautiful cap.
Features of care
Caring for Saintpaulia Lyubov Orlova is not very different from other varieties, but there are several nuances to prevent strong drooping of the foliage and obtain white flowers :
- Lighting - like all Saintpaulias, Lyubov Orlova prefers abundant, but diffuse. Moreover, if strong shading leads to fading of flowers, sometimes almost to white, but excessive lighting leads to more intense drooping of the leaves;
- The temperature must be maintained between 18-26°, depending on the season. A decrease in temperature leads to a strong drooping of leaves, and during the flowering period to fading and shrinking of flowers;
- Watering and fertilizing: The first method involves watering in a tray or under the leaves as needed (about once a week in summer, once every one and a half to two weeks in winter). Fertilizers are applied together with watering every other time, and the dosage is reduced by half from the recommended one;
- The second is a wick type, the water is in a container in which a string is lowered from the pot. Fertilizers are constantly in the water, in an amount of 1/7-1/8 of the recommended amount.
Reviews
Vasilisa. “I bought a leaf of this violet and was pleasantly surprised at the speed of the baby’s growth. Already at 8 months she gave me my first flowering. Even though the size of the flowers was not the maximum, I really liked them. Very delicate and neat, it turned out to be a small cap over the leaves. In the second flowering, all the flowers were 5-6 cm and the hat turned out simply amazing.”
Yana. “I bought an adult rosette with a beautiful head of flowers. When it bloomed, the leaves began to droop significantly, they actually hugged the flowerpot, I put it in a more shaded place and everything became more or less normal. Home blooms were less abundant and slightly lighter in color, but no less beautiful.”
Difficulties in growing
Difficulties that arise when growing violets are almost always associated with diseases and pests. On the Panacotta violet, insects such as aphids, springtails, whiteflies and scale insects are more common than others, each of which depletes the plant's nutritional reserves and leads to limited growth and shredding of flowers. Diseases characteristic of this variety of Saintpaulia: gray rot, powdery mildew and leaf spot, which significantly spoil the appearance of the plant.
The most effective ways to eliminate these problems are considered to be the use of fungicides and insecticides, among which the most effective are “Aktellik”, “Aktara”, “Fitoverm”, “Iskra” (they help cope with harmful insects), as well as “Previkur”, “Topaz”, “Fundazol”, “Fitosporin-M”, which are used in the fight against fungal diseases and rot.
You will be interested to know why violets do not grow at home.
If you follow the standard rules for growing violets, there should be no serious problems with cultivating Panna Cotta, because it is not particularly demanding in terms of planting and further care. The reward for your efforts will be a delicate and light Saintpaulia, pleasing to the eye all year round.
Violet Emerald Love (Breeder E. Kolb)
Emerald Love is a violet of foreign selection , which was bred by E. Kolb, a genus of hybrid Saintpaulias from the Gesneriev family.
The rosette is slightly spreading due to the proportion of the size of the leaves relative to the length of the cuttings. The leaves are green with a clear pattern of light green veins, round in shape. Often the edges of the sheets are curled downwards.
The flowers are small, which is compensated by the abundance of flowering , with at least 5 buds formed on each peduncle. The color of the flowers is a bit like a chimera, the petals are cream in the center and the edges are light green.
Features of care
In care, Emerald Love is a completely unpretentious variety . Even under unfavorable conditions, it can grow and bloom beautifully:
- the lighting is bright but diffuse;
- temperature within 14-16°, in accordance with the season and a smooth transition into the off-season;
- watering is possible both in the classical way (in a tray or under the leaves as needed, about once a week in the summer) and wick (the wick from the pot is lowered into a container with water underneath);
- Fertilizers are carried out systematically with the first method and constantly with the wick method. The concentration in the first option is ½ and 1/7 in the second, if calculated from the recommended dosages;
- the soil yourself from peat/leaf soil/perlite/moss in the proportion 1/1/1/0.5 for the first type of irrigation and 1/0/1/0-0.3 for the second.
Important! With a lack of light and a strong drop in temperature, the leaf cuttings become elongated, and the leaves themselves stretch in the direction of the light.
Reviews
Maria. “Not a single violet has taken root with me, but Emerald Love feels great. Slightly long cuttings don’t bother me, and a bouquet of small flowers simply cannot help but please the eye.”
Firuza. “I added the Emerald Love variety to my collection. I bought a leaf and it quickly produced a beautiful baby. The first flowering was incredibly abundant. Despite the spreading nature of the bush, due to its long cuttings, I keep this variety for its flowers.”
Reviews
Tatiana. “I purchased this variety at an exhibition in Moscow, and it conquers again and again with the duration of flowering and its bright, saturated colors. No matter who comes to visit, they always pay attention to him.”
Olga. “I fell in love with the variety, the rosette is compact, there are a lot of flowers. From the very beginning it blooms with a dense cap. But when growing babies from cuttings, it often sports. To get the same flowering, I leave stepsons. Then they repeat flowering according to the variety.”
Violet EK-Crazy Love (E. Korshunova)
Photo of violet EK-Crazy Love.
EK-Crazy Love - Uzambara violet from Elena Vasilyevna Korshunova , bred in 2010 and belongs to the genus of hybrid Saintpaulias, the Gesneriev family.
Exhibition variety , with dark green variegated foliage, with slight wavy edges. The rosette is medium sized, smooth.
The flowers are very large, semi-double , with a wavy edge. The color is purplish-red with a dark center and small dark spots along the petals.
From 2 to 5 flowers are formed on the peduncles , and the peduncles themselves are strong and do not rise high above the bush.
Features of care
To obtain the full color of flowers, it is important to follow several rules of care , including those that differ from the classic ones:
- The lighting should be bright enough to produce dark spots on the flower, but like all Saintpaulias, it does not tolerate direct sunlight;
- The temperature is maintained within 18-24°. Severe hypothermia causes colors to fade;
- Watering can be done in the classical way (in a tray or under the leaves), but this variety responds very well to wick watering, and the flowers usually become larger;
- Fertilizers are added to the water through irrigation for the classic version, and constantly for the wick version;
- soil at home from peat/leaf soil/perlite/sphagnum moss in proportions 1/1/1/0.5 for classic irrigation and 1/0/1/0-0.3 for wick irrigation.
Advice! For those who want more variegated leaves, you will need to move the flowerpot to a more shaded area.
Reviews
Zhanna. “When I bought a leaf of this variety, I was very worried that it would take root, but rooting was successful and the baby appeared quite quickly. The first flowering appeared closer to the year, and was a little disappointing, the flowers were too small. Then I switched to wick watering and the second flowering was much more abundant and the flowers themselves were larger.”
Victoria. “I bought an adult specimen and was seduced by its incomparable color and size of flowers. She felt good at home, but the flowering at home was no longer so colorful. I had to make adjustments to the care and voila - then all the time there was only an excellent result.”
Introduction
Violet Bohemia: photo
In many specialty gardening stores, you can find attractive plants that have dark green foliage, hairs, and beautiful flowers. They are often mistaken for violets, but in fact this plant is a Saintpaulia. Those who breed plants call it Uzambara violet. In fact, Saintpaulias do not belong to the violet family. Its discovery occurred purely by chance in the 90s of the 19th century. Saintpaulia was opened by the military commandant of the Uzambara district of the German colony in East Africa - Walter von Saintpaul. For this reason, the plant became the owner of its name - Saintpaulia. He sent seeds to Germany, which after some time showed the first shoots. Of course, anyone who has seen this plant will immediately note its similarity to violets, but this is only an external similarity. But many flower growers do not like to go into detail about what classification this or that plant belongs to, which is why this variety is called violets.
A fly in the ointment, or completing an experiment with LEDs.
So, six months have passed since the installation of the rack with LED lighting. We can summarize. And in my case they are disappointing. Violets suffer monstrously from lack of light. Thanks to this rack, I almost threw out my entire collection (thank you, it got warmer and some of the violets moved to the windows). No matter what I did - I increased and decreased the daylight hours, raised and lowered the sockets, nothing helped! All my rosettes stretched out wildly, turned pale and began to dangle in the pots, like... um... Milky Way in an ice hole. And in order not to be unfounded, I’ll show you photos
How to form a beautiful rosette?
If you want to grow a beautiful rosette for your Saintpaulia, then listen to the advice of experienced gardeners:
- place pots of violets at a sufficient distance so that the leaves do not come into contact with neighboring plants;
- provide adequate lighting for at least 11 hours a day >;
- fertilize the plant with special compounds for violets;
- remove stepsons and flower stalks in a timely manner >;
- ensure proper watering : do not overdry or overwater the Saintpaulia;
- if the leaves rise too high, you can carefully bend them to the ground and secure them with paper clips .
Advice! To support the leaves in the correct position, you can put a disposable plate on the pot, making a corresponding hole in it. The leaves should rest on it.
Variegated
The so-called variegated border is called Tommie Lou in foreign sources. The main color in this case is green; there is a pinkish, white or beige stripe on the edges. There are also spots of the same color along the main part of the leaf.
Most violets have this appearance. But we must take into account that the color ratio greatly depends on the conditions in which the flower is kept.
The crown type of variegation implies mainly light green, yellow and cream tones of foliage. Pink shades are found only occasionally. The motley part is collected mainly in the center of the rosettes. It is there that young leaves develop, and after ripening they turn green. As for the rarest (mosaic) variegation, it is also the most stable.
The color preservation does not change even with errors in agricultural technology. Such plants look beautiful regardless of age. However, the rarity of violets with mosaic variegation is not caused by any natural factors. The fact is that they are capricious and develop very poorly. Few gardeners have the patience to do everything right and succeed.
Reproduction methods
The White Queen violet can be propagated by rooting leaf cuttings or by stepsons:
- The leaf stalk is cut from the second row of the rosette. The lower and uppermost leaves are not suitable for propagation, since the first ones are too old and the second ones are too young. Make a scythe on the cutting and place it in a glass of water to a depth of no more than 1 centimeter. After the formation of roots 1.5 centimeters long, the cuttings are planted in a cup with a sand-soil mixture and covered with a transparent cap. After the babies appear, the cap is removed. The children are transplanted into a pot for permanent cultivation when the diameter of the leaves reaches 3-4 centimeters.
- Stepchildren (or daughter rosettes) are formed in the axils of the lower leaves. Separated mini-sockets are planted in pots with a diameter of 4-5 centimeters and covered to create greenhouse conditions. Stepchildren quickly take root and form a root system. The flowering of the rosette obtained from the stepson begins after 8-9 months.
The White Queen violet variety can be propagated both by separating the children and by rooting the leaf.
Reference. The White Queen variety is often used for sport, especially when propagated by leaf cuttings. Sports of this variety bloom with pink flowers of varying shades. You can determine that a sport will grow from a cutting by the color of the leaves. If the back side of the leaves turns red, then the flowers at the rosette will be pink.
