AREA BLOOM BACKERS SEE VISIONS IN VIOLET.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Enchanting veteran enthusiasts and gardening amateurs alike, the delicate petals and fine green leaves of the African violet drew more than a hundred area residents to the Thousand Oaks Library on Saturday.

Sponsored by the Thousand Oaks African Violet Society, the 14th annual event gave admirers a chance to view more than 75 entries in this year's violet show as well as to purchase some of the rarer violet varieties.

After looking over table after table of the blooming beauties, Sharon Mullin picked out a miniature plant that promises peach-colored petals in the coming weeks.

``I grow a lot of African violets at home, but they are all various shades of purple - the standard color,'' said Mullin, who drove out from her home in Oxnard to get some growing tips from the experts.

Mullin said she watched as a child her grandmother grow African violets along her windowsill. Earlier this year, Mullin said she installed a window greenhouse in her own home and has since grown more than two dozen violet plants.

``Usually, people get violet plants for gifts and they die in a couple of weeks. I think it's neat to keep them up and see all the tiny violets blooming,'' she said.

Lay gardeners often complain that the violet is a challenge to grow. But with the right mix of soils, proper moisture and plenty of sunlight, an African violet plant can survive for years and offer richly colored blooms several times each season, said Barbara Burde, a Simi Valley resident and president of the Thousand Oaks African Violet Society.

``The main problem is that people tend to overwater them. You need to keep them moist, not wet,'' said Burde, adding that the violet plant also needs to be re-potted frequently to stay healthy.

Founded in 1981, the Thousand Oaks African Violet Society has held the annual show for more than 13 years to give amateurs a chance to brush up on the basics of growing the violet.

The event also gives the more serious violet enthusiasts a chance to have their year's work prized by six accredited judges.

In addition to the standard deep-purple violet with thick green leaves most commonly found, this year's show included rarer miniature plants no larger than 6 inches in diameter. The displays also featured a myriad of violets with color variations ranging from the pink and white speckled blossoms of an arrangement titled ``Yesterday's Love'' to the pale green miniature petals of another called ``Irish Flirt.''

This year's theme of ``Violets in Wonderland'' drew Katherine Slocum's first-place entry featuring a statuette of Alice in Wonderland standing next to a blooming pink-and-white striped miniature violet plant.

``I like getting the violets while they are still small,'' said Slocum, a Thousand Oaks resident and 13-year member of the society.

Slocum said the monthly workshops have not only offered tips on keeping healthy plants but also a chance to build a violet garden with a lot of variety.

For Pauline Adams, Saturday's festival of flowers has convinced her to pick up the hobby again. The Thousand Oaks resident had to give away the more than 50 violet plants she inherited from her grandmother years ago because of time constraints.

``I think it's time to start growing them again. I just love watching them bloom. They're like having children,'' Adams said. ``They're so tender and have so much variety.''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color in Conejo edition only) Maureen Mellitt shows off several varieties of African violets at Saturday's show.

(2--ran in Conejo edition only) Award-winning African violets in many colors received ribbons during the floral show Saturday at the Thousand Oaks Library.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News