February Gift Flower: Violets

Regardless of the special occasion, flowers make a lovely gift and for February, the traditional gift flower is a violet. Although there are a variety of violets, the ones easily available for mid-winter gift-giving are African violets.

For years, African violets were a very popular gift and home decor plant. Hybridizers developed a wide range of colors including white-bordered ones and miniature varieties. African violets, like iris, are one of the few flowers that include a true blue color in their color palette. Although they have lost some of their popularity, African violets are still a charming gift flower and are a nice choice for a February gift.

African violets are very easy to grow. The trick is to find the right indirect sunlight spot and not to get cold water on their leaves. It's not true that you have to only water them from the bottom, what bothers their tropical leaves is exposure to cold. If you have room water temperature you can water them under their leaves, which is a good idea every once in awhile.

In their native habitat of South Africa, African violets live under the shade of trees. Their leaves have developed hairs to capture nearby moisture.

In the right lighting conditions, African violets will bloom continuously for months.

In the Language of Flowers, which Victorians used to send secret messages in bouquets, violets represent faithfulness.

To dress up your plant for a gift, find a complimentary basket or interesting container to hold the usually plastic pot. Make sure it allows for drainage so the plant is not sitting in water. Add a nice card with a special sentiment or better yet, make your own!

Charlotte