Have you seen the exciting and fashionable green and gold-edged African violets? Did you ever visualize that such interesting color combinations might be produced by the American hybridized?
African violet hybrids of good single and double forms edged in chartreuse, lavender, green, and gold do exist and are available in many saintpaulia lists and catalogs today.
Your first question, no doubt, is: will they propagate true, or are they recessive? My honest answer is that, on average, African violets do propagate true. A well-marked leaf cutting showing a distinct edge usually produces a well-marked productive plant.
A small percentage, no doubt, do revert, but African violets have been grown commercially in enough quantity for stock to be most selective.
Fringed African Violets Enter The Market
Let us discuss a few of these new popular varieties that are so beautifully edged. ‘Fringed Pompon,’ a fluffy fringed creamy double white with distinct lavender and chartreuse edgings, was among the first to appear on the market several years ago.
This variety has an equally interesting leaf, as do so many of these types, with heavily fringed edges on elongated leaves that make a beautiful pattern, whether the plant is to be an individual beauty on your window sill or a contender for the next violet show.
‘Purple Pompon,’ a variety introduced, is similar in form but produces dark lavender purple blossoms with green fringed edges.
`Love Knot’ is a graceful semi-double blossom of deep royal purple and a greenish gold rippled edge. ‘Green Eyes,’ as the name implies, is a medium single-type blossom of creamy color sporting touches of lavender and a distinct green edge.
`Little Jewel’ is a real favorite. The vivid rose pink fringed semi-double blossom has a part ruffling and tinged chartreuse edge, with shiny fringed foliage. It is well-named and truly a jewel in any violet collection.
Among the chartreuse-edged double flowering pinks is ‘Pride of Rochester,’ a huge fluffy medium pink with chartreuse flower edgings. A plant of beauty and performance.
`Dorothy Gray,’ a sparkling beauty of delicate pink and white blend, sports a dainty chartreuse edge; it is prolific and of good form, a real favorite.
`Gold Band,’ a deep double pink edged in gold, has interesting wavy foliage. ‘Cinderella Pink,’ a new different one not yet appearing on many lists, is a frothy green-edged double pink.
‘Parrot Feather,’ another brilliant double pink, has heavily frilled blossoms edged in the breeze. Each of these varieties is distinctive in itself, but all are similar in excellent foliage and profusion of bloom.
Other Prominent Colors
Appearing among many of the new hybrid seedlings are the warm, bright raspberry rose and red tones.
‘Fireball,’ an intense raspberry red color with large single blossoms and sturdy, excellent heart-shaped foliage with red suffusion underneath, was a blue ribbon winner at the national show and will appear on spring listings.
‘Afterglow’, a national winner and now available, is a warm, bright raspberry double pink with beautiful girl foliage. ‘Red Glow,’ introduced a year ago and now considered a standard type, is a leader in this class and a two-time ribbon winner, appearing also on the preferred list of the “Buyers Guide of the National African Violet Society.”
A lovely soft double flowering peach color is the new ‘Lillian Jarrett,” with its profusion of bloom and firm heart-shaped foliage. Other peach-colored types are becoming more evident at the violet shows.
Variegated blossom types such as ‘Star Gazer,’ Patti Anne,’ and many others are still popular and in good demand for color variations.
In the single white types, the new ‘Fringed Snow Prince’ is the top, a good frilled pure white blossom that blooms profusely. In the double flowering whites, ‘Monaco White,’ White Pride Supreme,’ and ‘Arctic Snow,’ with touches of blue and lavender, are all whites of good performance.
These are only a few of the many new and exciting colors to come. In general, African violets are being greatly improved in flower, form, and color. There is no house plant that gives such continual personal pleasure and satisfaction in performance and bloom as the exciting African violet of today.
44659 by Anne Tinari