Wishing you and yours a very happy and safe New Year!

African violets are one of America's favorite flowering houseplants. And because they are easy to grow, they are accessible to anyone who wants to add a little bit of blooming joy to their home. Even if you don't have a green thumb, they will reward your efforts with beautiful flowers throughout the year.

Often considered queen of the indoor plants, the African violet was first discovered in Tanzania in 1892. Originally the flowers were limited to shades of blue, white and lavender, but thanks to years of hybridizing efforts many color variations are now available.

African violets also vary in size and form. There are miniature varieties that grow to less than 6" in diameter, standard varieties which average 8-12" in diameter (but can exceed 18-24" when grown for exhibition), and trailing varieties, which can be grown as ground covers or as hanging plants.

Ideally, African violets prefer the natural light of a south facing window but they can grow well with artificial lighting, too. The key is to provide them with 8-12 hours of light per day. For more even growth, it is helpful to rotate the plants a quarter turn each day. They grow best in temperatures between 65ºF and 75ºF, which will help promote quick flowering cycles and better absorption of plant foods.

It is important to allow the soil for African violets to dry out completely between waterings. When watering, try to avoid watering the leaves, as this can leave behind unsightly stains. We recommend feeding them every two weeks, year-round, with a soluble plant food such as Schultz. This will keep the foliage a nice shade of dark green and help the flowers produce a more intense color.

African violets are one of the most popular houseplants and very easy to grow. With good bright light and regular feedings, they will bloom joyfully all year long! We invite you to stop by soon and take a few home.

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Gloria Vega
Green Thumb Garden Pro

By Tamara Galbraith

So, the holidays are past and your once-fresh tree is moving rapidly from Christmas to crispness. No matter. When you're ready to take down the decorations, explore all your options of how to reuse or recycle.

Many communities across the country offer a recycling program, whereby trees are collected and ground up into mulch for municipal use. Areas with lots of man-made lakes will sometimes collect and sink old trees into waterways to slow erosion. Check with your local city government or county Extension Office to see if such a tree collection program is in place.

Also, if you have the space and don't mind "the natural look" in your landscape, lay your old tree in a remote corner of your yard; it makes a great hiding and nesting place for birds, rabbits and other small creatures.

In either case, just be sure all the non-natural decorations, like tinsel and ornament hooks, have been removed. While sparkly mulch might have an interesting look, it's not very good for the environment.

1. Try Something New:
Are you a rose freak? An orchid expert? Or maybe you only grow vegetables. At any rate, diversity is a good thing. Take a journey--however brief--down another avenue of gardening. Or just try growing a new, cool plant you've never seen before.

2. Learn to Like Spiders (or, at least tolerate them):
Repeat after me..."Spiders are our friends. Spiders are our friends." Don't automatically reach for the Raid or rolled-up newspaper every time you see eight legs and a bunch of eyes staring back at you. Remember, the earth would be overrun with pests like flies, fleas and much more were it not for our fanged friends. If a spider or other relatively harmless bug gets in the house, try carefully catching it in a small container and releasing it outside before instinctively smashing it to bits. Or, if you're like me, allow a few out-of-the-way spiders to hang around the plants. They'll keep your fungus gnat and earwig problems at bay, for sure. (Learn to identify the poisonous spiders, however, and terminate with extreme prejudice if you spot one.)

3. Don't Beat Yourself Up for Failures:
I guarantee you that even Martha Stewart has accidentally killed plants. Many times, a plant death isn't even the grower's fault--plants, like the rest of us--eventually die. If the plant's demise was your doing, learn from your mistakes and move on.

4. Be Good to Mother Nature:
Wean yourself and your plants off of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Start a compost pile. Plant native and/or waterwise trees, shrubs and perennials. Mulch, and use natural materials when doing so. It's all about building the soil.

5. Give Something Back:
Participate in or start up a community garden in your area. Share your love of gardening with kids and seniors. Got too many zukes? Take them to your local food bank. Gardening is at least twice as much fun when someone else benefits from your labor of love.