Customer Reviews

You Can Grow African Violets: The Official Guide Authorized by the African Violet Society of America, Inc.

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An African Violet book that is all meat. The authors are professional growers who know their stuff and who remember what it was like to kill off a few violets when they were beginners. They expertly guide a beginner through the pitfalls of growing their first plants, then offer tips to experts grooming their plants for entry into an African Violet convention. This book doesn't stop with African Violet horticulture-the authors also discuss the judging of violets at a show, using them in dish gardens and terrariums, ordering quality violets through the mail and online, etc. which was a lot more than I was expecting. I am an experienced grower and found their advice spot on.

I have been reading the columns of Joyce and Kent Stork in African Violet Magazine ever since they began writing them over ten years ago. They have done a mammoth job assembling all the knowledge that they have shared with their readers into this book that is a "must-have" addition to any African violet aficionado's and connoisseur's library. It contains a treasury of knowledge on every aspect of growing our most popular houseplant. I own a number of books about the love and care of this plant - from Helen van Pelt to Melvin Robey to Pauline Bartholomew. This delightfully written, easy to read book moves way up to the top of my list.

The book was helpful and reinforced the things I did know about; however the book was also slightly difficult to 'search and find' certain issues.

Several months ago I started growing african violets for the first time. I got this book and read it all the way through once and then have referred to it several times since. It really gave me a good feel for how to start and grow them successfully. I avoided several pitfalls I'm sure I would have fallen into otherwise. Examples:
- How to not over-water
- How to avoid commercial violet potting mixes and fertilizers that have urea in them.
- When to give up on a plant, before it causes more trouble for other plants.
- Grooming
- Lighting and environent

My 10 violets are beautiful and I'm not spending endless hours fussing with them. A good deal of the credit should go to Joyce Stork's book.

The only quibble I have is that the book seems to be a bit disjointed at times. The chapters feel like a collection of articles rather than a seamless whole. Minor problem, as the content is the important thing.

I'm a beginner.
First things first, what kind of pot should I buy.
All this book talks about is weather it be clay or plastic.
It makes no reccomendation of any brand. It does not even mention brands. Or the types of plastic pots their are.
O.K. I don't have a pot maybe I'll skip over to see what is reccomended for soiless mix. They tell me there are 3 main ingredients. Would you belive they make no mention of how
much of each to use to make up my soiless mix.
Do I use equal parts of each???
Remember i'm a beginner and the name of this book is
"You Can Grow African Violets"
One other thing about this book. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Sorry there are no pictures or drawings in this book.

The book is very helpful for learning the basics of growing African violets. It would be nice to have more illustrations, but they aren't absolutely necessary. I'm happy with the order.

This gave me some good ideas for my new hobby. Wish there had been pictures and illustrations.

I seriously doubt that I will ever be able to generate a question about african violets that is not addressed in this book. Informative is not the half of it, expert excellence is more correctly a description, and an easy read too. Written with throughness in mind, the information is immediately obtainable. Heck there's even a narrative map in the intro to help the neophyte African Violet grower create a reading plan that fits their specific needs. It's not a "picture book", or even a magazine style glossy read with paragraph length descriptions of "how-to" separated by large yummy photos of potting soil and colorful flowering plants, but let's face it, that type of offering is often void of content and lacking in the vital information to take on a project of this magnitude with success. Don't get me wrong, I love those books too, they promise expertise overnight, just by looking at a photo or two, but they are empty calories, promising immediate gatification without sustained benefit. If this husband and wife team ever write a glossy style magazine book on growing and propagating african violets I will buy it too, because I can tell from this book alone, that they value information, have an excellent grasp of how to cut the fat and get right at the essential nutrients, and their delivery is par excellance. I like this book and if you'r looking for real information on growing African Violets rather than just pom and pretty, you will too.

This should be sold in every store that sells african violets. It provides all the information you need to grow show worthy plants.