This is a violet baby. I separated it from the parent that came in a dish garden that was sent to my Granny's funeral. There were other plants in the basket with it and after a while they needed their own space. The parent violet had beautiful pink blooms - one of my Granny's favorite colors. So, I always refer to it as my Granny violet.
I separated the baby from the parent a couple of years ago and neither plant has bloomed since. I left the parent plant in front of the same window in our bedroom where the photo above was made. The baby plant came downstairs and is set on the front of my desk. I've watered it religiously and monitored it's growth. Each time I see it and the parent plant, I think of my Granny.
My Granny was a woman with a green thumb. She could grow most anything and her plants generally thrived. When I was a young woman, Granny had loads of African violet plants. She even set up a grow space with fluorescent lights in the basement of their home at one time. She had all sorts with different leaf shapes and bloom colors and styles. Some were frilly and looked like they had ruffled leaves. Some were pale pink, some were lavender, some were so dark purple that they were almost black. I loved seeing all the different kinds. She would tell visitors all about the different plants and often would gift them with one. I remember keeping some in the windows of our basement apartment when I was wrapping up my Bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee.
Granny died twelve years ago during the month of April and I still miss her twinkling blue eyes, smiles, and southern drawl. So, when I came downstairs today and sat down to do a little work, I was excited to notice that this violet has pushed up several buds that will bloom soon. That makes me so happy!
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