African violets are such charming little flowering plants but they can be a little bit tricky to grow. They hate being in a draft and need extra moisture around them to help them thrive.
Growing violets in glass containers protect them while showcasing their beauty. While these are similar to terrariums the top is never sealed.
These make wonderful Mother's Day gifts as they are easy to care for and add a touch of greenery to a room.
These are very simple to put together. You will need a glass container that is large enough to plant your violet in. I have done these in round and egg shaped containers but it would look equally good in a square container.
Buy your African Violet first. Look for one that has no spots on its leaves, has buds coming out, has a few flowers on it so you can see the color and the leaves are firm. You do not want you Violet to be too large, it will need some room to grow. If you find that the plant that you bought is to big for the container you can cut off some of its leaves with no harm to the plant.
Fill the bottom of the container with perlite (which is a light porous volcanic rock which holds moisture well. It is often used as an additive in soil mixtures.) Making a paper cone pour about an inch of perlite into the bottom of your container. Make sure that it is evenly distributed.
Using the same paper cone carefully add two to three inches of soil, depending on the size of your container and the size of the plants that you are adding.
Reach into the container and make a hole to add your plant to. Taking your African Violet remove it from its pot and gently loosen the soil from the roots but leave a ball of soil on. Press the plant into you hole that you made in the container.
Press the plant into the soil and make sure the soil is even all around. If you need to clean the inside of the container do not use Glass Cleaner as it is poisonous to plants. You can use a paper towel to clean the inside and outside.
I added a simple bow to the glass container just by tying it around the the middle and added a small card. (You can download the printable for the card here.)
While African Violets enjoy bright light keep them out of full sunlight as the leaves can get burnt. Water these when you see that the soil is getting dry, it will probably need less water than most of your other plants.
Do not cover this planter as you would a terrarium as you do not want any extra humidity or condensation on the plant.
A lovely gift to give that needs a minimum amount of care.
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Copyright Ingrid Talpak 2012
Morestylethancash
Morestylethancash
This looks so sweet! I used to have an african violet a long time ago, I should do it again :)
What a lovely gift idea! I love it!
Very pretty! I will have to search my glass collection to make these for the Mom's.
This is such a pretty way to present an African violet! I'm sure I have glass containers stashed away that would be perfect for this, thanks for such a nice idea!
This is a lovely looking idea but how practical is it given that you cannot get the leaves of violets wet? The brown spots you see on violets at the store are not just from sun, they are from splashed water on the leaves.
Hi Heather,
Yes if you get the leaves of a African Violet wet they will get spots. When I water this I use a long necked watering can and aim for the bottom side of the plant. Any water that I get on the leaves I just brush off with my fingers. I have removed some leaves since I planted this to keep the violet looking fresh but not because of brown spots.
I have let the plant go dormant for now so I am only watering it about once every two weeks or so, I want to have blooms on it for January. I will try to post a photo of it on my Facebook page latter today so you can see that the leaves look fine.
Thanks for the question!