Lipsticks du Jours

My rarely flowering Lipstick plant,  Aeschynanthus parvifolius, is in bloom right now. You can't even look at the red and maroon flowers without them falling off. With only 6-8 blooms per year from this 8 year old plant, I've been known to place detached blooms in tiny glass vases, extending their lives by a couple of weeks. These plants come in many varieties—mine is from the late (and lamented) Fonicello's Garden Center in Guilford, closed four or five years ago after more than fifty years in business. Lipstick plants are related to African Violets. I also grow those, which you can see at the bottom of the photo

My 'Forest of Violets' is just visible in this photo. I've planted 6 African Violets together in one large composite container. I'm not sure if it's an old Wives Tale or not, but I've always found that African Violets do much better in plastic pots than terra cotta ones. This particular pot is a 'new' composite material, which I've painted with a copper glaze and a floral motif. I've never planted more than one violet per pot before, but after more than a year together, all six violets are not only growing and flowering, they're thriving, throwing off a few babies in the process. I'll shoot some pics of the thriving community soon.