African Violets

Although Leta always liked cherry blossoms and roses for their fragrance, the African violet was her favorite flower. The cherry blossoms were seasonal, so one couldn’t get them in a bouquet. And, of course, nearly everyone liked roses, which did work well in a bouquet and were available any time of year. But the African violet was a different story.

The African violet was a relatively new houseplant choice in 1922. Her soon-to-be second husband Albert Mohr, noting that she liked to keep a few houseplants, gave her one for her birthday. She was still married to Ralph at the time, but separated. Albert gave her a second plant for their first Christmas as a married couple that same year. While she was taken by the flowering plant, she never much considered it special until after Albert’s murder in 1927. From that time forward, she always kept two to four plants, even after she retired to the senior residence in 1972.

The flowering plant, originating in the cloud forests of Tanzania in Africa, was a friendly, easygoing houseplant of the genus saintpaulia. In fact, that’s what she always called them, her “resident saintpaulia,” as if the great Apostle was always present to guide her.

Over the years, she kept several notes on its care, acquired through experience, experimentation and conversation. It didn’t require direct sunlight, but good light. The best way to water the plant was from below—that is, put water in the saucer and never directly on the leaves. The water needed to be room temperature. This is owing to its original climate with its lukewarm rains and steady mild temperature.

The hard part was that the flower required its own soil and fertilizer. Regular houseplant soil and fertilizer were too chlorinated and salty for this hearty plant. While the plant may live, it wouldn’t thrive or bloom. And the African violet isn’t very pretty when not blooming. Her African violets bloomed a lot.

Once a year, she repotted her plants. At this time, she also propagated at least one, occasionally counting how many generations she had maintained over the years.

She also developed several forms of care for her precious flowering plant. To kill bugs, for example, one could squirt them with Black Flag®, or better yet, mix one teaspoon of Ammonia with two quarts of water. NNOR Garden Spray also worked if it was diluted properly—one-half teaspoon into one quart of water 10° warmer than room temperature. She only used this method when the insects were persistent. It required a regiment: spray with force all parts of the plant and then wet the soil thoroughly. Spray every ten days for two or three times. Then once a month when cleaned. The spray mixture always needed to be fresh, or it would damage the leaves. To get them to bloom, she mixed one teaspoon of Epsom salts in one quart of water.

While botanists developed various flower colors over the years, she always preferred the purple colored ones.  “They are called ‘violet’ after all,” she noted.