inpiring your green thumb
The cooler fall weather seems to have perked up my miniature sinningias. So I threw a bunch together and took this photo. As you can see there is quite a variety of shapes and sizes , though any of these would sit easily in the palm of your hand! Despite their delicate appearance, the flowers are quite sturdy and last a while!
Sinningia Doll Baby is a delightful miniature Sinningia that will never need anything bigger than a 2.5″ pot to thrive. It produce several rounds of flowers with each blooming cycle, and often has two flowers open at the same time. The flowers are similar in shape and form to a miniature pusilla.
I find that these miniature Sinningias thrive in the warmer humid conditions of summer. They grow easily in a bright window with indirect light or under artifical lights. After flowering, the original growth dies down but newer growths are always developing and blooming as long as growing conditions are ideal. I grow it an an African violet mix, and keep it moist, but not wet, while actively growing.
This plant was planted in a miniature bonsai pot! The bottom two thirds of the pot were filled with perlite to facilitate drainage since these plants do not seem to grow very deep roots. You can see the penny near the base of the plant to give you an idea of the small size of the plant and pot.
Sinningia Cherry Sprite is putting a great show on for us this summer! Obviously, the warm humid summer temperatures in Washington D.C. suit it well. This plant is actually growing in a ceramic self-watering pot often used for miniature African violets. The inner pot in which the sinningia tuber is growing, is about 3″ across.The whole plants is no more than 5″ across.
While this self-watering method seems to keep the plant adequately watered during the warmer months, I’ll probably let it dry out a little before refilling the reservoir, once growth slows down in the fall. Usually, the plant goes dormant during the colder months. I keep it on the drier side and when growth resumes, start watering again. With these types of pots its important to have good drainage so some additional perlite in the potting mix helps.
Even in between blooms, the dark green glossy leaves of this miniature sinningia are especially attractive.