Cape Primrose

Botanical Name: Streptocarpus x hibridus

Cape Primrose is a showy relative of the African violet. You can expect months of blooms if you keep the soil moist and give it bright, indirect light year-round.

Hundreds of hybrids have been developed to offer some exciting new varieties with bigger flowers, longer blooming time, and more compact foliage. There are even some trailing and dwarf varieties.

Long, deeply veined leaves grow in a rosette. Above the leaves, tall flower stems carry clusters of trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of purple, violet-blue, pink, red, lavender, white and bicolors. The flowers are velvety, often with contrasting veins or throat color. Flower size also depends on the variety, they may be 1- 2- or 3-in (2.5-7.5 cm) across.

Cape Primrose Care Tips

Shed some light. Cape Primrose is sensitive to day length and won't bloom if it doesn't get enough light. Find a place near a bright window for your plant, where it will get several hours of curtain-filtered sunlight. This plant really thrives under fluorescent lights, too. Use 1 warm white tube and 1 cool white tube under a reflector. Place flowers about 8 inches (20 cm) beneath the light for 15 hours a day.

Pinch off spent blooms. Flowers are sometimes followed by long, twisted seed pods. Remove dead flowers as soon as you notice them to encourage more blooms instead of using its energy to develop seeds. Cut flower stems back after the last bloom has faded.

Repot in spring. This plant blooms best when slightly pot -bound, so move it to a slightly larger pot only every couple years or when needed. Always use a pot with drainage holes to prevent overwatering.

Origin: South Africa

Height: Up to 1 ft (30 cm)

Light: Bright light or fluorescent light. No direct sun.

Water: Keep the soil lightly moist.

Humidity: Moderate humidity. Mist foliage with room-temperature water or place pot on a tray of wet pebbles. Keep plant away from drafts.

Temperature: Cool to average room temperatures 60-70°F, 16-21°C. Too-hot temperatures can cause the plant to wilt.

Soil: African violet potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks in spring and summer with high-potassium liquid fertilizer diluted by half. Take care to fertilize when the soil is already moist to avoid fertilizer burn.

Propagation: Take leaf cuttings in spring or early summer. Sow seeds in spring.