African Violet 'Optimara EverSpecial'

African Violets grow and bloom best when they are slightly rootbound. Grow in a pot just large enough to hold the roots, and relatively shallow. Soil should be kept on the damp side, but not wet. Wick watering works well, as does use of the two-part terra cotta and glazed pots.

Keep in mind when planting that Optimara EverSpecial is thought of as tender, so it is really important to ensure that the outside temperature is well above freezing before planting or moving outdoors.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Optimara EverSpecial is a tender plant.

EverFloris is a series of Optimara Violets comprised entirely of varieties developed from the Optimara “Space Violet” program.Space Violet LDEF Compared to most standard African Violets, EverFloris Violets are bigger and easier to grow, with larger, fuller blooms that flower continuously. For a listing and a variety detail of EverFloris violets, click here.

As a direct outcome of the Optimara Space Violet program, the development of EverFloris Violets began in 1984, when Optimara launched 25,000 Optimara seeds into space aboard one of NASA’s space shuttles. The seeds remained in space, orbiting the Earth, for nearly six years. (The Long Duration Exposure Facility, on which the seeds orbited, is shown at right.) The program was conceived to test the effect of long-term exposure to cosmic radiation and lack of gravity. When the seeds were retrieved in 1990, many mutations soon became apparent. One such mutation resulted in a new characteristic which Optimara has dubbed ‘multiflorescence.’ This characteristic gives Optimara Violets an extraordinary abundance of flowers which never stop blooming. Compared with PMA standards, which define a finished African Violet as having five to seven open blooms, a multiflorescent Optimara variety will have at least 20 open blooms.

Multiflorescence is just one of the remarkable characteristics that make EverFloris Violets so unique. In addition to larger, fuller blooms that flower continuously, EverFloris varieties have been developed to grow bigger. Overall, they are as much as 50 percent bigger. To accommodate their larger growing size, EverFloris Violets are cultivated in a 6-inch pot (instead of the standard 4-inch pot). ¹

¹ Optimara African Violets