AFRICAN VIOLETS: QUEENS OF THE INDOOR GARDENING KINGDOM

By Melvin J. Robey

---

This one is a keeper.  Hard to find and costly when it is found, this book definitely belongs on your bookshelf.

Robey is a plant scientist and sees things a little bit differently from the average violet grower. This makes his book more for the intermediate  grower and the advanced grower.

The Page of Contents reads like this:

1. African violets: A gift from Nature
2. Botany and Other Facts
3. Watering your African violets
4. Environmental Factors: Temperature, Light, Humidity, and Air Movement
5. Feeding Your African Violets
6. Potting Mixtures for African Violets
7. Pots, Potting, and Repotting
8. Increasing Your Plants by Propagation
9. African Violet Pests and Other Problems
10. Light and Your Plants
11. Artificial Lighting
12. Growing African Violets Under Lights
13. A Special African Violet Shopping Guide
Glossary of African Violet Terminology Index

In the chapter on Feeding violets, I discovered a new world of important nutrients violets need that I did not know about.

Black and white drawings explain Robey's instructions to various problems with AVs.

This book is definitely one to buy and use.

Nancy

 AFRICAN VIOLETS--THEIR COLORFUL KIN AND FRIENDS

By A.G.W. Simpson

---

1978, Murray Book Distributors Pty. Limited Australia, printed in Hong Kong.

Simpson approaches violets in a different way than mostwriters on the subject. He has come up with a most unique book with full page pictures of violets. Simpson presents large magnified blossoms of African violets and names each variety. Personally I would prefer a smaller picture of the whole plant so we see the symmetry, the way the leaves lie as well as the beautiful blooms.

Simpson handles all subjects about the plant very well in little space. This book is mostly on African violets but about one third covers other gesneriads and other companion plants. The section on gesneriads is not complete, yet gives the reader a taste of the Kin of African violets.

Companion plants, those plants not of the gesneriad family are mentioned and pictured. While these are interesting, I prefer to have a book about African violets solely about them.

Contents:

• The way to grow terrific African violets
• Potting On
• Planting Hanging Baskets
• Planting up Terrariums
• Miniatures
• Propagating African violets
• Exhibiting and Displaying African Violets
• Culture Rules
• Colorful Kin of African Violet
• Plants Compatible with Gesneriads

The history is complete and excellent. Species are described and colors of each are mentioned. Watering and foliar feeding is mentioned.

I believe the editor did not catch a few awkward phrases. Example on speaking of Pests and Diseases: " Let me tell you a story about imported pests. As I write this book the winter temperature went up to ...55 degrees Fl. I had some plants which looked as though they could do with a breath of fresh aire, so I took them outside, displayed them in the warm sun for about three hours, and then brought them back in.

EXCESS SALTS IN THE SOIL..." The author was about to tell a story about pests he might have brought in from outside and all of a sudden he is on a completely different subject. The is the error of the editor. This type of writting occured at another time.

Diseases are adequately discussed. He shows you how to plant African violets in a hanging basket.

Propagation is thoroughly discussed but he does make an error by saying that seed from an African violet hybrid will show plants true to the parents. Out of the hundreds of seeds, then plants, that come from a cross very few, if any at all, will be exactly like the parents.

In general, the book is well written and in a different aspect from most other writer's basic techniques with the plant.

I believe this book to be one of the better books I have read concerning violets. I would recommend this book for beginners, intermediates and experienced growers. I would put it on my list of four best books on African violets.

Nancy

 Growing To Show

By Pauline Bartholomew

---

This book is deceiving in it's appearance:  a thin paperback with a simple three color cover... but you will find answers to all your questions somewhere in this book! 

This is a very good book---covering most of the basic and advanced methods of growing African violets.  It is written in a very personal, straight forward manner.  No extra ramblings here---but you get the feeling the author loves her violet friends.

Subjects are simply explained... but all areas of AV culture are represented so everyone from novices to more experienced growers will find this interesting reading.  I am anxiously awaiting the AVSA printing as Pauline has signed over the rights to this book to the Society.

 

-- Mrs. John

If you can buy only one book for your AV library this is the one.  This book is good for novices, intermediate and advanced growers of violets.

-- Nancy

I agree that "Growing to Show" is one of the best books on the market today.  I have been using it for over 15 years and find new information in it each time I look for something.  I have recommended this book time and time again to people who are just beginning.  Some people think it will be too complex for them because of the name.  It is a book for everyone not just the show grower. There are sections that describe how to pot, put down a leaf and a very important section on grooming.  I hope everyone out there who grows, not only for show, will buy a copy.

 

-- Fred

 The New Complete Book of African Violets

By Helen Van Pelt Wilson

---

My copy is the 'New' edition, 1963 copyright; there are 1951 editions without the word 'New' in the title.

 

For it's age, this book has all the 'modern' innovations: fluorescent lighting, perlite-vermiculite-peat potting mix, etc... There are sections on propagation, showing, selling, photograhing, and enjoying your violets.  The information is very dependable... and the illustrations are wonderful--I love the line drawings!

 

This book is also available on Ebay and other booksellers, although not always at bargain-basement prices!    It is easily found in most libraries. 

 

Mrs. John

 AFRICAN VIOLETS AND RELATED PLANTS FROM MOTHER NATURE

By James E. Glick

---

This 42 page booklet features many colored pictures on each page.

A few paragraphs sum up AV history and a page is devoted to flower forms and leaf types.

This pictoral booklet would be handy for those just starting in African violets.

Soil and fertilizer, water and humidity are explained briefly.

Glick shows containers and transplanting with pictures and brief dialogue. Hybridizing is shown with pictures as is propagation.

Pest and sick plants are mentioned in a few short paragraphs with drawings.

In the African violet album Glick shows 4-6 pictures of violets popular in that day. The booklet was published in 1978 so the selection of plants is from that time.

Many pictures feature plants from Granger's Greenhouse. A slight mix-up of pictures occur with Pixie Blue and Pixie Trail. It is interesting to see these old varieties.

A gesneriad album follows with quite a few pictures of plants but there is again a mix-up of pictures of Strep Maassen's White and S. rexii hybrid.

This booklet would be helpful for the novice grower. The pictures make it interesting for other growers. Not recommended unless you get this at a very good price as I did.

Nancy

 BEGONIAS, GLOXINIAS AND AFRICAN VIOLETS

By H.G. WITHAM FOGG

---

This book does exactly like the title intimates. It is mostly about Begonias, then he gives some information on Gloxinias, then a few chapters on African violets. Published in 1967.

This is the Contents:

• The Development of the Begonia
• Starting the Tubers
• General Cultivation
• Some Good Double Flowered Varieties
• Rex and other Rhizomatous Sorts
• Begonia Semperflorens
• Begonia Gloire de Lorraine
• Winter Flowering Varieties
• Small Flowered Begonias
• Cane Stemmed Sorts
• Propagation
• Raising New Varieties
• Exhibiting Begonias
• Pests, Diseases and Disorders
• Introducing the Gloxinia
• Cultivation
• Caring for the Plants
• Species and Varieties
• Propagating Gloxinias
• Exhibiting the Plants
• Pests, Diseas and Disorders
• The Origin of the African Violet
• General Cultivation
• Caring for the Plants
• Some Good Varieties
• Propagation
• Exhibiting African Violets
• Pests, Diseases and Disorders

There are no pictures but several drawings. By the contents page you can see that there is little written on the African violet. Not Recommended for African violet enthusiasts.

Nancy

 GESNERIADS AND HOW TO GROW THEM

By 26 Authors, Edited by Peggie Schultz

---

As the title indicates this is a book about many different gesneriad including African violets.

The African violet pages (17 in all) include black and white photos and is written by Alma Wright who was an executive with AVSA for many years.

The material is well written and educative for novice growers but I do not recommend the book for those interested only in African violets.

For those growers of many of the different types of gesneriads I would suggest you get a copy. Both novice and intermediate grower of gesneriads would benefit from this book.

This is the table of Contents:

1. Meet the Gesneriad Family
2. Gesneriads as house plants
3. Gesneriads the fluorescent way
5. Gesneriad pests and problems
6. How To Expand Your Gesneriad Collection
7. Hybridizing Gesneriads
8. Decorating with Gesneriads
9. Achimenes, The Magic Flower
10. Aeschynanthus, Delightful Trailers
11. Chirita, An Oriental Gesneriad
12. Colorful Columneas
13. Episcia, The Peacock Gesneriad
14. Gloxinera, A Bigeneric Beauty
15. Hypocyrta, A Real Charmer
16. Kohleria For Contrast
17. Rechsteineria For Rare Beauty
18. Saintpaulia, A Domesticated Import
A Portfolio of Saintpaulia Species
19. Sinningia (Gloxinia), The Family Beauty
20. Smithiantha, The Velvet-Leaved Gesneriad
21. Streptocarpus, The Cape Primrose
22. Concise Encyclopedia of Gesneriads
23. Stories of the Gesneriad Societies

This book was published in 1967

Nancy

 STREPTOCARPUS

By REX AND GARETH DIBLEY

---

And who else could write a book about streps?

This book was published by the Royal Horticultural Society. It is a Wisley Handbook, printed1995.

Contents

• An Introduction to Streptocarpus
• Unifoliates and rosulates
• Stemmed streptocarpus
  

Distribution.............................................

History.....................................................

Cultivation

• Where to grow Streptocarpus
• Potting, Watering, Feeding, Deheading and leaf care, Flowering............................................
  

PROPAGATION

• Leaf cuttings, Dividing, Propagating stemmed streptocarpus, Raising from seed.........................................................

PLANT BREEDING

• Cross pollination, mutations...................

SHOWING

• Authors Rex and Gareth Dibley know their business when it comes to streptocarpus.

DISEASES AND PESTS

• Diseases, Pests, Biological control, Growth malformations, Suppliers of biological controls

A SELECTION OF SPECIES

• Stemmed streptocarpus, rostulates, unifoliates

STREPTOCARPUS OF GARDEN ORIGIN

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Recommended reading, Societies, Suppliers

There are only three books written dedicated to the streptocarpus. This one is definitely recommended. It will be useful for novices, intermediate growers and advanced growers.

Many color pictures are featured in this 64-page book, mostly of Dibley's plants.

This book is highly recommended for the streptocarpus lover.

Nancy

 STREPTOCARPUS

By REX DIBLEY

---

Both of the Dibley Strep books are difficult to find. You can order the more recent one directly from www.dibleys.com It was printed in 2003 and is highly recommended for intermediate and advanced growers of streptocarpus.

This second book, by the father only, is completely different in layout, in style and with the many color pictures offered. Larger than the first, this book is 128 pages with pictures of species, of propagating leaves and of his hybrids.

CONTENTS:

INDEX OF PHOTOGRAPHS
INTRODUCTION
HISTORY
CLASSIFICATION
DISTRIBUTION
BREEDING
PROPAGATION
CLUTIVATION
SHOWING
PESTS AND DISEASES
GROWING PLANTS UNDER ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS
STREPTOCARPUS OF GARDEN ORIGIN

Rex Dibley goes a little futher, a little deeper into the study of this plant--his lifetime work. This should be in the library of every serious strep lover.

Nancy

 AFRICAN VIOLETS AND OTHER GESNERIADS FOR MODERN LIVING

By Dr. M. Jane Coleman Helmer Ph. D.

---

This 5 X 8 inch book has 79 pages and was published in 1978. A great many colored pictures of African violets and other gesneriads adorn each page in this book.

Contents

• The Gesneriad Family
• Gesneriads Suit Every Taste
• Your Plants' Environment
• The New Plant
• Light
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Watering
• Fertilizing
• Soil
• Potting and Repotting
• Planting A Terrarium
• Illustrated African Violets and Other Gesneriads
• Disorders
• Pests
• Diseases

This book is very good for novice growers and for gesneriad lovers.

Nancy

Next Page