Question: I ordered two violets this spring, one of which is supposed to have yellow blooms. I have my first flower, and it is white. Can you advise me on this?
Answer: Be patient. It will likely show more yellow in the bloom at a later time. This is a frequent complaint from growers of “yellow” varieties, and we make a point of warning them beforehand. To begin with, “yellow” violets is an often misleading term used by hobbyists, since no variety that we know of looks quite like a daffodil. Most varieties are a mottling of yellow–yellow on white or yellow on pink, usually. The yellow that is there IS yellow, but it appears in varying amounts. How much appears depends upon variety, maturity, and environment, particularly temperature. For example, “Golden Eye”, at least for us, shows more yellow when grown cooler. There are other varieties, however, that can show more when grown warmer, or “in between”. Under the best of condtions, many can appear very, almost completely, yellow. At other times, these same plants can show very little yellow, or none at all. This may change, as hybridizers improve upon the currently available varieties, and is likely to, given that this color is relatively new to African violets.