Achimenes—Growing Cupid's Bow Flowers

Achimenes are a delightful relative of the African violet. They grow from small underground rhizomes that sprout in the late winter/early spring and eventually explode in a variety of lush blooms. Today, breeders have worked extensively with the plant to create wonderful blossom colors, including white, pink and purple. These are warm-sill plants that dislike direct sunlight, but crave warm and moist homes. After the bloom is done in the late summer, the plant will begin to die back and you can overwinter the rhizome in dry peat moss until it's ready to be planted in fresh soil again near the end of the winter and the cycle starts over again. Some varieties make excellent hanging plants.

Growing Conditions:

Light: Achimenes prefer bright, but not direct sunlight. Strong sunlight will burn their leaves.
Water: Begin watering the freshly planted rhizomes in late winter until new sprouts emerge. After that, and throughout the growing season, keep the soil continuously moist as the plant grows. When it begins to die back in the fall, reduce watering until it's died completely, then suspend watering and keep the rhizome in a cool, dry place.
Soil: A rich, fast-draining potting mix is ideal.
Fertilizer: During the growing season, fertilize every week with a weak liquid fertilizer. It also works to include controlled-release fertilizer pellets in the soil.

Propagation:

There are two ways to propagate Achimenes. First, you can root stem-tip cuttings in the early spring, when the plant has gained enough mass that it won't miss a few cuttings. Use a rooting hormone and keep them in a warm, bright place until they begin to grow. The second method is by rhizome division, which is usually carried out in the winter, just before you begin to feed and water the plant again. Divide larger rhizomes in half.

Repotting:

Every spring, the rhizome should be planted in a fresh pot of potting soil. They prefer a nonalkaline soil, so a peat-based mixture (which tends to be slightly acidic) is perfect. At the end of the growing season, remove the plant from its old pot and place the old rhizome in a fresh bag of dry potting mix. Keep it at around 50˚F for the remainder of the winter until it's time to pot it out again.

Varieties:

The vast majority of the Achimenes on the market today are carefully hybridized plants that were bred for the color of their blooms. There are both cascading and upright versions, so make sure the one you're buying fits your needs. Some of the more popular Achimenes varietals include:

• Ambroise Verschaffelt, which is white with violet petal veins.
• Charm, which features pink flowers.
• Blue Monarch, which has blue flowers.

There are also a few species variations available, including the A. erecta, which stays under two feet and grows upright with red blooms; A. grandiflora, which grows to two feet with purplish flowers; and A. longiflora, a compact specimen that stays about a foot tall.

Grower's Tips:

There are not difficult plants to grow and offer beautiful, seasonal blooms. To encourage bushy plants with more blooms, pinch off the growing tips as the plant grows in the springtime—you'll be rewarded with richer displays of blooms. Fertilization is important for these plants: use a high-phosphorous fertilizer to get the best results and feed continuously throughout the season in small doses. When it comes time to pot up the year's rhizomes, make sure to discard any rhizomes that have dried out or become shriveled. These are unlikely to sprout and will only disappoint. Finally, be aware that these plants are vulnerable to aphids and thrips.

Achimenes flowerig plants orchid plant care