HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-16, Page 52Ballet -violet 'Julia'
Violets updated
The African violet fancier
of this decade is not
necessarily a sweet little old
lady. You can find a patented
violet blooming on the desk
of businessmen, the shelves
of college students as well as
the coffee table of the
average middle American.
Interest in blooming plants
is definitely on the increase.
Few blooming plants move
as comfortably from the
flower shop or greenhouse to
the home • environment as
does the African violet.
Breeding this adaptable
species is a fine and com-
p,licated art. Careful
selection- and years of study
go into breeding of superior
varieties. The modern
African violet often wears a
patent tag, attesting to the
careful and costly work
which has gone into its
deve lop•m en t.
The German breeder,
Arnold Fischer, has devoted
much of his professibnal
career to the hybridizing of
this important species.
Ballet violets, developed by
Fischer and exclusively
produced by the Pan-
American Plant Company,
have been bred to take the
work out of African violet
culture.
Each new introduction has
been rigorously tested to
determine its bloom size,
clarity of color, ability to
rebloom quickly and hold its
blooms high above the
leaves. Each new in-
troduction must be disease
tolerant, profuse in flower
and have attractive foliage.
This year three new Ballet
violets .join . the existing 19
varieties currently available
to the plant purchaser. Each
has undergone the rigorous
-__-._...,cesearrh . demanded..._before
its worth as a patented violet
with the Ballet trademark
could lie assured.
'Julia,' 'Jackie' and
'Grace' are Fischer's
choices for his three. new
crown jewels. 'Julia,' a blue
,and white bicolor provides
stiong notes of contrast
against the deep foliage.
'Jackie' bears deep purple
flowers well above the leaves
and 'produces flowers of
exceptionally large size.
'Grace' ' is a profuse
blooming, sky-blue variety.
Pan-American Plant
Company offers a few simple
cultural tips to buyers of
their violets. Anyone can
really grow an African violet
and keep it blooming if:
+ Plants are watered
thoroughly when soil feels
dry to the touch.
F Correct lighting is
maintained. If leaves remain
horizontal, lighting ts--right:
Too little light and leaves
will stretch vertically. Too
much and they will curl,
around the pot.
•
+ Plants are fertilized
every other watering in
spring and summer, every
fourth watering in fall and
winter.
+ High humidity is
maintained. Place violets on
a tray of wet sand or gravel.
Do not let plants stand in
water.
+ Use containers with
drainage holes, and a soil
with .good drainage
properties.
You-ngadults can grow too.
Young adults today have
greater' freedom of choice,
more expendable income
and fewer cultural restraints
than any previous
generation. More than ever
before, young adults are
doing what they want to do
with their time and money,
enjoying life today rather
than being preoccupied with
tomorrow. w
To their credit, most young
adults are not dissipating
themselves in the pursuit of
pleasure. On the contrary;
they are enjoying while
employing a great variety of
recreational sports to stay in
good physical condition.
Gardening is the .hobby
most valued by young adults
for a change of pace from the
strenuous life. And it
pr-oVides a• -Gornmunity- of
interest between the go-go
extroverts and the quieter
young adults who avoid
discos, ski slopes and singles
bars.
Young adults are par-
ticularly attracted to
vegetable and flower gar-
dening, not because their
parents or grandparents
gardened, but because
gardening makes sense.
Growing their own food
makes them feel self-
sufficient, less dependent on
the intricate food delivery
chain from commercial
growers to supermarkets.
Growing their own provides
fresh food that is healthful,
with no unknown additives;
the surplus can easily be
frozen or canned.
Typically, young adults
progress from growing
houseplants to gardening in
larger containers to a shared
plot or community garden.
Some move on to rented or
purchased homes with
backyard garden space.
4 With most, the progression
parallels the development of
long-term relationships with
others.
One day, without being
aware of a decision having
beip made, the young adult
or couple realizes that
gardening has transcended
the status of a hobby and has
become a lifestyle of itself.
The freeing of men and
women from stereotyped
gender and age -level roles
made it possible for more
people to truly gnjoy gar-
dening. Victorian standards
relegated flower gardening
to women and assigned 'a
rube or hayseed status to
city vegetable growers.
Sensible people ignored
these stigmas and later put
Remove Spent Blooms
To keep your annuals at
their flowering best, be sure
to remove dead flowers
regularly. Most annuals will
not produce new flower buds
if the old flowers are allowed
tb set seed.
down the destructive
`tmacbo". role that made
men feel guilty if they in-
dulged in gentler hobbies.
Young men and women
now enjoy •gardening fully,
probably far more than some
older gardeners who can't
drop their competitiveness
or forget compulsions that
were formed during hard
times. They see gardening as
the ultimate creative
recreation, They bask in the
vibrations that come from
person -plant relationships
and in the good feeling of
providing food for oneself
and friends. Gardening is a
good Life that dgmands little
and returns m
COLEUSUNIQUE PLANT FOR PARTIAL SUN OR SHADE
SHAPE
t
i i`
4r
VARIETY
Rainbow
Saber
Carefree
Dragon
Fiji
Wtzard
LEAF TYPE
Large
Small,
tapered
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deeply lobed
Large,
moderately
lobed
urge'
fringed
Large,
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P
HABIT
Vigorous
growth
Base•
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Slow to
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Dwarf, salt-
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Vigorous.
erect
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compact
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BLYTH
PROP:DOUWEWILTS BGARY COURTNEY PHONE: 523-9305
HOURS: 8A.M. - 5 P.M. MON. - FRI„ S A.M. - 12 NOON SAT.
CORNER OF HAMILTON ST. & HWY. 4 IN BLYTH