Saintpaulia 'An-Rio Rita'

March to September

Saintpaulia are tender perennials and should be kept at a daytime temperature of 18–24°C (65–75°F) and a night time minimum of 16°C (60°F). Place your Saintpaulia in a bright spot that is not in direct sunlight – an east or west-facing windowsill is perfect. Direct sunlight will cause leaf scorch. Avoid draughty positions.

African violets will rot if overwatered and resent being splashed with water. Keep water away from all parts of the plant. Water splashed onto leaves will cause unsightly brown leaf spots and excessive moisture around the plant promotes fungal rots. Either aim the water directly onto the compost or water from below using a saucer, but never leave the plant to sit in water. Water at intervals (about once a week in the growing season) only when the compost has begun to dry out. Room-temperature water, rather than water straight from the cold tap, is best.

Feed every three to four weeks in spring and summer with a dilute liquid houseplant feed. Remove spent flowers to encourage more to form. As the plant grows, repot as necessary in spring into a slightly larger pot.

October to February

Move to a south facing windowsill over winter if possible. Only water when the compost dries out and don’t feed. Remove any dead leaves and debris to minimise the chance of pests and diseases. Keep your plant away from cold draughts and avoid exposing it to sudden temperature changes.

African violets need at least ten hours of light and eight hours of darkness each day for continuous flowering. To boost light levels and day length in winter to enjoy year-round blooming, consider using grow lights.

Seeds and garden supplies will normally be delivered within the time period stated against each product as detailed above. Plants, bulbs, corms, tubers, shrubs, trees, potatoes, etc. are delivered at the appropriate time for planting or potting on. Delivery times will be stated on the product page above, or in your order acknowledgement page and email.

Orders for packets of seed incur a delivery charge of £2.99.

Orders which include any other products will incur a delivery charge of £6.99.

Where an order includes both packets of seeds and other products, a maximum delivery charge of £7.99 will apply - regardless of the number of items ordered.

Large items may incur a higher delivery charge - this will be displayed in your shopping basket.

Please see our Delivery page for further details, and more information on different charges that may apply to certain destinations.

For more information on how we send your plants please visit our Helpful Guide on plant sizes.

Van Meuwen strives to ensure that all its plants are delivered to you in the perfect condition for planting. While the majority of our nursery plants cope well with slight delays in intransit, sadly, the time it takes to deliver to certain locations in the UK means that we can't guarantee this for some of our smaller plug products and tender bedding and vegetable lines, which do not respond well to the extra journey time. So regretfully while we offer the majority of our live plant offering nationwide, we are unable to ship plugs, begging plants and tender vegetable plants to the following areas: HS, IV41-IV49, IV51, IV55-56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3.