Orchids, a miniature orange tree, gardenias and an 8-foot-tall bird of paradise plant fill the greenhouse at the back of Ron Ennis’ small home, just two blocks off Route 35 in Neptune.

A giant rubber tree, almost 40 years old, stretches around the room.

But Ennis’ first love is African violets, and violets — tiny, big and in between — bask in the humidity and controlled light, filling shelf after white-wire shelf.

Some plants have colorful flowers blooming. Others have had their flowers removed, a step Ennis says prompts the plants to grow more flowers.

“I like the violets because they bloom when I’m ready. The orchids bloom when they’re ready,” said Ennis, 73, with a smile.

Once upon a time, it was Ennis’ wife, Joan, who grew the violets.

After her death in 1991, Ennis called the Seaview African Violet Society in Neptune to see if he could show some of her violets at the club.

“They said I had to join the club to show, so I joined,” said Ennis, who now is president of the club and of the Matawan-based Central Jersey African Violet Society.

The retired ironworker spends at least two hours a day, every day, caring for his violets.

“It’s relaxing, yet it keeps you occupied. I enjoy putting down a leaf, and, within a year, having a big plant with a lot of flowers,” said Ennis, who enters plants in a number of annual shows and has won many awards. “I water, repot, start plants. Mainly, it’s repotting.”

“African violets are very temperamental. They need certain growing conditions” said Melinda Saminski of Manasquan, a member of the Seaview club. “They’re a challenge.”

“They grow better and bloom better in fresh soil because all soil deteriorates and gets acidic,” Ennis said. “I repot, and in two months I can see new flowers and new leaves.”

The tiniest plants, which only grow to about 1 1/2-inches wide, are repotted each month. Miniatures are repotted every three months, semi-miniatures every four months and standards every five months, he said.

They’re not planted in soil.

“It’s basically peat, vermiculite and perlite. It’s much lighter. That’s the key to violets,” Ennis said, adding that water and light must be carefully provided for the plants, which are native to South Africa and Kenya. “They grow on the shady side of a mountain in the cracks of the rocks. They need light but not sun. Sun will bleach the leaves out.”

“The secret is humidity in a room,” said Saminski, 52. “With dry heat, they don’t do as well.”

Water must not touch the leaves, Ennis said.

“We do what we call wick watering,” he said.

A string placed into the plant’s soil goes into water in a container beneath the plant’s pot. The string absorbs just enough water to keep the plant moist but not wet, he said.

“There are tricks to it,” Ennis said. “It’s not that easy.”

Sharing those tricks is one reason the clubs are important, he added. “That’s what we do at our meetings,” Ennis said. “We show people how to wick water, how to plant leaves. The advantage of coming to a meeting is you find out what your problems and mistakes are.”

Saminski, a commercial artist who loves gardening and her indoor orchids and violets, joined after meeting Ennis through business and seeing his violets.

“What he had was so beautiful, I wanted to learn more,” she said. “I’ve learned so much by joining the club — quite a bit about propagating plants.”

Right now, Saminski has 14 plants on the east-facing windowsill in her kitchen.

Each club has about 15 members now, and new members are welcome.

Ennis said Seaview meets at the library in Neptune and doesn’t charge dues because there’s no fee to meet there, while Central pays a fee to meet at the Matawan Women’s Club, so dues are $10.

At meetings, plants are sold to raise money to purchase Christmas gifts for needy children each year.

source : www.app.com