Here are the favorite African violet varieties:
1st AWARD: Joe Schultz
Most men bitten by the African violet hug favor robust-type plants like Du Ponts, Supremes, and Amazons. I, too, favor varieties with heavy substance; however, because of their stinginess of bloom, only one plant in this category qualifies for one of my favorite five.
My favorite “heavy” is SUNRISE SUPREME, a consistent and dependable producer of 1 1/2 to 2-inch gorgeous red blossoms.
Under fluorescent lights, the massive flat foliage becomes very dark green, has blood-red leaf reverse, medium-length pink petioles, and is a perfect background for the brilliant blossoms, which are held well above the plant on rigid red stalks.
Favorite Pink Varieties
The pink member of my favorite five is the tried-and-true PINK DELIGHT. As “Queen of the Show” at the 1953 National Convention of the African Violet Society of America, this plant was unsurpassed for sheer beauty.
PINK DELIGHT will perform well with a minimum amount of proper care and will always enhance a collection as a show plant.
The almost black, shiny, slightly-quilted foliage with bright-red leaf reverse complements the abundant, bright, medium-pink blossoms which are displayed so well above the plant on reddish-pink stems.
Favorite Lavender Variety
Another of my favorites is the “old” one, which has been a choice of practically all African-violet fanciers since its introduction.
No other known variety compares With LAVENDER BEAUTY when it comes to furnishing a constant display of exceptionally large, pale-lavender blooms held rigidly erect over nicely tailored, dark, shiny, slightly-quilted, “boy-type” foliage.
The pinkish, medium-length petioles, red leaf reverse, and flat growth habit add further to the appeal of this variety.
The rapidity with which this plant can be grown into a specimen, even under adverse conditions, certainly does not detract from its good points.
Orchid Beauty
Orchid glow will probably be a stranger to the majority of African violet enthusiasts. My start came through a leaf exchange with a fellow African violet collector.
The beauty of ORCHID GLOW lies in the pastel coloring of the many large, round, and flat blossoms, which are held well above the plant on pale flower stalks.
The color can perhaps best be described as pale blue-orchid with a glistening or frosty overcast.
The “boy-type” foliage is a bright yellow-green, shot with bronze veining, smooth on the surface and pale silvery-pink on the reverse. Medium-length, pale petioles allow the flat habit of growth to produce a very symmetrical showy plant.
Favorite Quintet
It seems appropriate to close this listing of my favorite quintet of African violets on a note of HOPE.
What could be more beautiful than a plant almost hidden by large, round, sparkling sky-blue blooms? Underneath this abundance of flowers is gorgeous black-green, shiny “girl” foliage.
Palest petioles and leaf reverse, accompanied by a creamy-white throat in each leaf blade, complete a picture of a beautiful plant that is easily the highlight of any display of African violets.
2nd AWARD: Mrs. Ward H. Swanson
My first favorite is STAR SAPPHIRE, for it stands out among all African violets that have ever been hybridized. All the best characteristics desirable in a saintpaulia are present here.
Each beautiful huge deep purple blossom is shaped like a star, with a circle of yellow stamens in the center.
The foliage is heavy but does not hang over the edge of the pot and can be easily shaped into a symmetrical, blue-ribbon-quality plant. It blooms prolifically.
Pink Cheer
Among the pinks, PINK CHEER would be my choice. The excellent foliage has dark green leaves backed with a shade of pink similar to the deep pink of the numerous blooms.
It grows crisp and erect yet also adapts itself to good symmetry. This is the parent pink of many of the lovely new double ones.
Snow Prince
Snow Prince is the best performer among the whites in my group. It is a very heavy bloomer, with large pure white flowers that glisten in the light and cluster in a profusion resembling a white nosegay.
Fire Chief
Fire Chief is an outstanding double with beautiful deep shadings of red. The blooms remain on the stem for a long time. The foliage is pliable and matures into a nicely shaped plant.
Gorgeous Blue Wonder
My fifth favorite is GORGEOUS BLUE WONDER because it’s so floriferous. No matter how I plant this variety—in a shell, bubble bowl, or with other types of foliage in a large container—it never dies down nor stops its heavy blooming.
The lovely big glistening flowers vary in tones of blue. The leaves are a nice shade of green with an upright growth habit.
These five beautifully blooming African violets complement each other, yet each one is unusual.
3rd AWARD: Mrs. H. A. Webb
There are certain qualities that, in my opinion, a plant must possess to take rank as a favorite. First, it must be a good grower, sturdy and healthy, needing no coddling, and content with its location and growing conditions.
Second, it must be a good bloomer; an African violet that does not bloom abundantly over long periods has failed. Third, it should be beautiful in foliage as well as in flowers. Its leaves should be pleasing in color, texture, and pattern of growth.
Since these qualities can be determined only by growing the plants over a considerable length of time, my five favorite African violets are all among the so-called “older varieties.” The newer beauties of my shelves have yet to prove themselves.
Neptune
My number-one favorite is NEPTUNE. Its shining, deep-quilted, dark leaves grow in a trim, well-ordered fashion, overlapping ping their edges to form a perfect rosette. Sometimes they “spoon” to show a glimpse of the rich wine-purple under-surface.
This luxury of foliage is constantly crowned with a circle of big rounded blossoms as purple as amethysts, with golden nuggets of anthers.
Snow Prince
Next is the famous SNOW PRINCE, sure best of all white African violets. Sturdy oak, its roots rapidly from leaf cuttings, clothes itself in smoothness. medium-green rounded foliage and blooms lavishly even as a small plant.
The crystalline blossoms! are held proudly erect on their stems, like the plume of a gallant knight.
Bicolor
My third favorite is Bicolor—the first African violet to be called by that name and one whose loveliness deserves a more fitting title.
I like everything about this African-violet: its rich olive-green leaves lighter at the midrib and with tiny dark red veins showing against the light; its luxuriance of bloom (my BICOLOR has been in constant bloom for more than eight months); and especially its beauty of coloring.
The velvety red-purple tips of the upper petals set off the large blossoms of soft glowing orchids. To me, BICOLOR is a lady in orchid silk with purple velvet ribbons.
Azure Beauty and Double Orchid Bouquet
Favorites number four and five are doubles. Set side by side on my window shelf, and they draw admiring attention from all beholders.
AZURE BEAUTY wears huge fluffy white blossoms laced with clear blue over clean, crisp apple-green foliage.
DOUBLE ORCHID BOUQUET, with similar foliage and similar growth pattern, decked with snowy ruffled blooms and marked with lovely tints of orchid and rose.
4th AWARD: Ruth C. Wood
Without hesitation, Fischer’s SILVER LINING is my first choice, though it is difficult to select merely five favorites! I answered an advertisement in FLOWER GROWER, and African violets arrived, beautifully packed in separate tubes.
SILVER LINING must have been growing on the way, for her tube seemed too small for the little lady.
She shook out her skirts like a princess in hoops when I carefully removed her and went right on growing without dropping a bloom or a bud.
Nothing bothers her. The foliage is beautiful, and the double blue flowers, like ruffled blue petticoats with silver edges, are charming.
Lavender Lady
LAVENDER LADY wins second place, though she usually is the first that visitors notice. She also blooms constantly under almost any circumstances.
The large, plentiful pale-lavender blooms, often measuring 2″ inches across, have a sparkling silver sheen and are a constant joy.
Blue Boy
I have chosen BLUE BOY for third place because of its good foliage, easy growing habits, and the profusion of lovely deep purple-blue flowers. Nothing is more handsome than a group of three to six of these plants in full bloom.
Pink Beauty
PINK BEAUTY was the gift that started my collection, and it is still a great favorite. A clear, attractive color, it is one of the best pinks, I think. And it is certainly easy to grow. Its bloom is constant. It likes a little more sun—not too hot—than most saintpaulias will tolerate.
White Fringette
WHITE FRINGETTE is my final selection, though I looked regretfully through other whites, the reds, and some handsome specimens with girl foliage as their chief attraction. Every collection must have some whites—for their beauty and to accent the colors of the other plants.
I chose WHITE FRINGETTE for its beauty and grace of flower and foliage and for its willingness to bloom.
Pink Cloud and Pink Fringette
I must mention two “runners-up”: Lyon’s PINK CLOUD and Fischer’s PINK FRINGETTE. I have not had them long enough to know their habits, but they are very beautiful, and I predict a great future for them.
5th AWARD: Charlotte Curry
I FEEL GUILTY when called upon to select five African-violet “favorites” from my collection of more than a hundred plants all grown in my Florida room.
Viking
VIKING was my very first plant—an older variety, to be sure, but hardy. Its glossy, plain-to-quilted foliage, red-backed according to season and type of fertilizer, and it’s approximately 25 strong blue-purple blooms all year long held high above the symmetrical, 18-inch rosette make it a most desirable variety for anyone.
Snow Prince
SNOW PRINCE, another of my first plants, is well-shaped and has light green, ovate leaves and dollar-size white blossoms. There are 38 to 40 at its February peak, glistening in the early morning sun.
I refer to this plant as “old faithful” and use it frequently for demonstration with talks or at displays.
Azure Beauty
AZURE BEAUTY. My show-stopper is 23″ inches in diameter, a handsome Supreme or Amazon-type plant with a multitude of variegated blue and white double blossoms, 7 to 8 on a . stem.
I marvel that they could stand erect until the last bud opens. This plant reacts more quickly to “jolt” feedings than any I ever had.
Sailor Girl
Then there’s SAILOR GIRL. with the handsome crenate, girl leaves, and plentiful baby blue blossoms. The symmetry is perfect. People want this plant for foliage alone, and it is a conversation piece in a silver bowl as a table arrangement.
Sir Lancelot
And there’s SIR LANCELOT—good average foliage and such a vigorous grower one has to watch carefully to keep it single-crowned.
The lavender blossoms, in good quantity and tipped in knightly purple velvet, make it one of the prettiest bicolor varieties I’ve ever seen. The blossom develops to 1 inch in size.
All of these have won blue ribbons for me. They have eye and heart appeal and are selected as my favorites today.
44659 by Na