• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Me and My Big Mouth!

March 18, 2010 by Jeanne


Ever write an email or a letter, then later realize you came off too strong? I guess I had a hissy a few months ago about an article in County Gardens, a magazine I look forward to each month. The winter issue had a good article about African violets in it, but the authors never mentioned chimeras. I have first hand experience with this. And I guess my annoyance and lovingly tending my violets for over a year to find them all…identical…may have oozed out from my fingertips and through my keyboard.

I’ve got 20 identical dark purple violets as living proof. I took cuttings from my sister’s plants. I know that each cutting survived. Yet even though the parents had pinwheeled and maroon colored flowers, every single blessed one is…deep purple. My favorite rock band, a great color, but I really wanted those pinwheel-flowered ones!

So today I got an email from the author of the article. I am sorry my tone upset you. I know what it’s like to have someone poke at your writing. Oh boy, after 20 years of freelancing – I sure do know it!

The long explanation about why this happens with violets is here, on the Department of Horticulture website from Ohio State University:http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tisscult/chimeras/valprop/val.html

You can make an identical plant with the pinwheel types, but you need to separate the plants at the crown, not the leaf. Others will propagate true to type from leaves.

So, dear article author and African violet expert: I sincerely apologize for my tone. I can be too strong sometimes too. Please don’t take it to heart. As a fellow writer, I should have been kinder. I just got stuck with 20 identical African violet plants, so I know this to be true…cuttings don’t always produce identical plants. (Exhibit A: yes, today’s picture is one of the nauseatingly identical plants I lovingly cultivated. I’ve got the monocolor thing down pat in my plant room.) And I’d love to have you as a guest blogger if you ever want to share your experience growing prize winning violets. I just love my violets, even if they are all dark purple!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Planting Peas on Saint Patrick’s Day
Next Post: Signs of Spring »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz

    March 19, 2010 at

    You have passion in your writing. You care deeply about your garden, your family, your pets, your faith. That makes you an interesting person and makes your writing interesting too. And it is the passion that sometimes makes us impulsive and “sandpapery”. Bet it was the passion that made you find out why your cuttings turned out like they did.

    Liz

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme