What is a Flame Violet?

A flame violet is a plant from Colombia that has oval leaves with a velvety texture and bright red or pink flowers. It is a perennial, which means that it grows for more than two years in a row. This flower is a very vigorous grower as long as it is in a place where there is a lot of humidity. It also must be provided with fertilizer that is able to give it the correct amount of nutrients. The flame violet is most often grown as a houseplant.

Flame violets are easy to grow and will offshoot in many directions. For this reason, many growers prefer to allow the flame violet to live in hanging baskets. A basket allows the flower to reach its full potential. If the plants are kept in a regular pot inside a person’s home, they generally will need to be trimmed on a regular basis so they do not spread over the entire room.

These plants require an average amount of water, meaning they should not get too dry or have water standing inside the pot. Fertilizer that is specifically made for houseplants, especially those fertilizers that have both macro and micro nutrients in them, is typically used on a flame violet. During the winter the flame violet will not need to receive any type of fertilizer. Any water that the flame violet is given must go directly into the dirt. If the water gets on the velvety leaves, they will rot.

Flame violets need a lot of light and a lot of humidity to grow and produce flowers. Any plant that is kept inside will need to be close enough to a window to get light but not so close that it has to endure direct light from the sun. To provide the correct amount of humidity, a person may want to consider placing the plant in a bathroom or putting it in a room with a humidifier.

The flame violet is not a toxic plant. This means that this plant will not cause any harm to children or pets that might come in contact with it. These plants do not have any bugs that naturally want to cause them harm. Any plant can become susceptible to bugs, though, so it may be a good idea for any new plant owner to look for signs of any insects on the plant.