The Violet Barn

The Violet Barn African violets, gesneriads, and other rare and unusual flowering houseplants.
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05/13/2026

Watering young plants

Episcia 'Silver Skies'. A small growing (small leaved) variety. As it appeared today on our shelves. We potted this o...
04/26/2026

Episcia 'Silver Skies'. A small growing (small leaved) variety. As it appeared today on our shelves. We potted this one up last fall from cuttings in a shallow 5" pot to see how nicely it would grow for us. Initially we let it be happy producing lots of stolons and leaves. Then, last month, we pruned the excess stolons away to encourage it to bloom. Very happy with the result!

This week was the first for "spring shipping". Over the weekend, we sort orders (see an earlier post), then Monday morn...
04/14/2026

This week was the first for "spring shipping". Over the weekend, we sort orders (see an earlier post), then Monday morning our staff gets busy "wrapping" plants and boxing orders. They get stacked in the hallway leading from our growing area into our "work" room. UPS on the left, USPS on the right--just by coincidence, this week, 139 boxes on each side! UPS just picked up theirs, and we're about to take the others to the local post office. All done by Tuesday afternoon. Whew!

04/13/2026

To answer some of the questions in the thread below on watering.....We put exactly 4 gallons of water on mat. In 30 minutes, the mat will be damp, but not puddly. We let plants dry a bit before watering again--plants don't stay wet all of the time. We add a bit of Physan 20 once a month to control algae. Plants are not moved from shelf to shelf--that way, if there is a problem, it is limited to only that area and won't spread further. It is important that you don't introduce a "problem plant" amongst others as they share the same water source. No wicks in pots, water is absorbed through drainage holes in pot bottom. Top watering plants, individually, is always the best method--all other methods are short cuts. Mat watering is the most efficient way for us to water a large number of plants quickly. Like any shortcut, it has limitations and must be done properly for best results.

04/12/2026

"Blanket" watering. Each (4'x8') shelf gets 4 gallons water. Shelves are waterproof. Cheap acrylic blanket cut to fit shelf.

Spring is (finally) here! Symptoms of spring fever were evident last week as many tried to beat the spring "rush". Her...
04/04/2026

Spring is (finally) here! Symptoms of spring fever were evident last week as many tried to beat the spring "rush". Here's Olive sorting plants for orders last week (Rob has a similar station in another room). Plants are sorted and ready to pack when our staff arrives Monday morning. It's only gotten busier since then. Some of the full plant shelves, just prior to last week's shipping. A last note: Standard chimeras are back in stock!

Our local club, the AVGS of Rochester held its annual display and sale this past weekend. We are a small club, but all ...
03/23/2026

Our local club, the AVGS of Rochester held its annual display and sale this past weekend. We are a small club, but all of our members helped to make this a success, by entering plants and/or by helping at the event. A fun time for all involved!

Just updated inventory of standard violets. The selection couldn't be better. Lots to choose from, including this one,...
03/19/2026

Just updated inventory of standard violets. The selection couldn't be better. Lots to choose from, including this one, 'SM Olesia'.

Thanks to all who attended our second Violet Barn zoom meeting on Saturday. We avoided the technical difficulties of th...
03/15/2026

Thanks to all who attended our second Violet Barn zoom meeting on Saturday. We avoided the technical difficulties of the first and we hope that everyone learned something. We love talking about violets. We'll post much of the meeting on our You Tube page as our time allows, and welcome your suggestions and feedback so we can continue to improve. Missed out? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates and notices about future events.

Not an African violet, but we do grow a number of hoyas as well. This is Hoya affinis. We've been patiently waiting fo...
03/10/2026

Not an African violet, but we do grow a number of hoyas as well. This is Hoya affinis. We've been patiently waiting for this one to bloom, as we've heard good things about it. It has huge blooms--each one about 2" in diameter (the umbel is far larger), and a very waxy red. It's fragrant, but not strongly so. It's grown in a west facing window in one of our growing areas. We are propagating it and will have some for sale in the future.

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Naples, NY

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