Homegrown African Queen has star appeal while Brazilians add a bit of beauty...and a touch of spice
With their velvety leaves and rich flower tones, African violets have long been a favourite choice of houseplants.
They flower over very long periods but never grow too large, however they do need a little care and attention in order to thrive.
They like a warm, bright room and will suffer if placed in a draft or if they sit on a cold windowsill overnight. Moisture is also important, and the best way to create the humid atmosphere that they need is to sit them in a saucer of damp gravel. Make sure you don’t let your plants dry out. Water them when the surface of the compost has become dry to a depth of about 1cm using water at room temperature and don’t allow it to touch the leaves as these could become stained. During spring and summer feed regularly with a dilute dose of fertiliser and every two or three years repot using a specialist houseplant compost. Thanks to their spreading habit, African violets are easy to divide but if you want to make more plants than you can also take leaf cuttings or even try growing them from seed. African violets are part of the Streptocarpus family, many of which make beautiful houseplants. Some have strappy leaves as well as frilled and ruffled petals in a broad range of colours. Similar in appearance to Streptocarpus are Gloxinias, but these are very different plants. These grow from tubers, which should be started off in spring, and then, after flowering during August and September, should be allowed to die back and then stored somewhere warm, such as an airing cupboard, until the following spring. Gloxinias come from Brazil and if you want to continue with the tropical theme then you may want to try growing ginger. Edible ginger is easy to propagate using a plump root bought from the supermarket, but there are many decorative gingers that produce lush foliage and exotic-looking flowers.
All like to be kept moist and warm and they are hungry feeders, but they’ll reward you with either a handy supply of roots for the kitchen or gorgeous flowers in bright shades of red, yellow and orange.