DEEP PURPLE
“My aunt Clementine
had quite the collection
of African violets,
and displayed them in
cabinets and glass
boxes,” recalls Martha.
“She taught me how to
carefully water beneath
the leaves (to avoid
spotting and rot), remove
spent blooms with
tweezers, and use mani-
cure scissors to snip
dead leaves. I still follow
her advice today.” For
healthy results, let the
top of the soil dry out
between waterings, and
put them in indirect
bright light, like the
windowsill in Martha’s
servery. This prominent
placement is intentional,
she says. “They’re not
happy someplace where
you don’t look at them
all the time.”