Question: What size pot should I grow my Episcia in? Can I grow more than one plant in a pot? Answer: Episcias, like African violets and most gesneriads, are relatively shallow-rooted plants that don’t need a very deep pot. As your plant grows, you can repot it into a larger diameter, but not much deeper, pot. This means that “azalea” […]
Question: Do you grow “gold fish plants” or “lipstick vines”? Answer: We do, but that’s not the reason we’ve chose this question to answer. This is a very frequently asked question, both at the shop and by those calling us. We’ve chose this to illustrate the importance of using the botanical names of plants. It’s true that […]
Question: My Columnea are never as beautiful as yours. My conditions are good, but they always look weedy and don’t bloom very heavily. What am I doing differently? Answer: Like violets and most other plants, Columnea nearly always bloom from the newest growth. This means that the more new, healthy growth there is, the more potential there is for blooming. Assuming […]
Question: What size pot sould I use for my Sinningia? Answer: The rule of thumb is much the same as for other plants. Determin pot size by the size of the root system, not the plant. Unlike violets, sinningia are tuberous, meaning the growth is produced from a potato-like tuber beneath (or at) the soil level. Use […]
Question: I have a Gloxinia erinoides ‘Polo Polo’ which I planted in a terrarium. It has only one leaf left alive and tiny green and white things on the otherwise naked upright stems. One stem has nothing left at all. Do you think the plant will come back from its roots? It seems barely alive. Answer: The […]
Question: I have a Sinningia that is getting a bit tall. I raise Kohleria as well, so when they get long, I cut the top of the plant off at a leaf node and stick it back into moist soil. No problems. Can I do this with this Sinningia? Answer: Yes. You can treat it the same was as a Kohleria, or as […]
Question: How to I get Columnea ‘Light Prince’ to be full? I have a pot from a previous order that actually has some buds, but is long and ‘spindly’. Answer: C. ‘Light Prince’ is a beautiful plant, and can bloom quite heavily, but it tends to be more seasonal in nature than some of the other Columnea. We find that […]
Question: I’ve recently received some Streptocarpus from you. These are younger plants in 2″ pots. They are ready for a larger pot. I’d like to use the self-watering “violet” pots. Would they do well in these? Answer: Streptocarpus easily grow and bloom. They’ll grow and bloom nearly constantly in most home environments, in natural or artificial light. They’re […]
Question: We live in an old home, and most of the windows are quite cold. I’m afraid that my windowsill will be much too cold for growing violets in the middle of winter. Any suggestions on what I can grow there? Answer: Actually, violets will tolerate a good deal of cold. We grow some (showplants even) on […]
Question: We live in an old home, and most of the windows are quite cold. I’m afraid that my windowsill will be much too cold for growing violets in the middle of winter. Any suggestions on what I can grow there? Answer: Actually, violets will tolerate a good deal of cold. We grow some (showplants even) on […]
