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Ordering Online
Shopping on the Internet can be alluring and for African violet fans, there are many beautiful violets (or just leaves) for you to order. I am sharing my online ordering experience so that you can benefit from it and make decisions about where to buy from. Cedar Creek (www.orderafricanviolets.com)I ordered two specials which were six trailing violets and six standard violets. For the specials, Cedar Creek selects the violets they send you. Service was fast from Cedar Creek, and the plants arrived the following Thursday via USPS priority mail. I also received an e-mail letting me know that they had filled out the shipping label, so I knew that they were ready to ship. The plants were small (more like starter plants), but they were in excellent shape when they arrived with only a couple of broken leaves. Packing was done very carefully in styrofoam cups. There was no damage that would affect the long-term health of the plant, and within a couple of days, any wilting of leaves was gone. The price was reasonable ($24 for six plants), and if you are not particular about what plants you receive, their specials are a good buy. The photo below shows the method used for packing and shipping their AV's. 
Drew's Violets (drewsviolets.com)Drew has a lot of violets that collectors would be interested in (Senks, trailers, chimeras, etc.) He also has named standard violets that may be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Tiny miniatures (such as Senk's Fruit Fly) are shipped in plastic condiment cups to avoid any breakage of leaves or stems. You can buy from Drew through Ebay or directly from his website, and can pay with either credit card or Paypal. Since I don't have a Paypal account, I appreciate being able to use a credit card on his website. Shipping was fast and the leaves arrived in excellent shape. Since I had already prepared a place for them in my collection, I put them down right away and didn't lose any leaves. Purple Sky AVN (purpleskyavn.com)I ordered only leaves from Purple Sky. This business is owned and solely run by Jen Madsen and her husband. Jen is very attuned to customer service, and as soon as she receives an on-line order, she e-mails you to let you know that it was received. I ordered in March, and since I live in a cold climate, I asked her to wait until May to ship. She did so and e-mailed me again before she shipped to make sure I would be at home. Since she runs this business from her home, her selection can run low, but the varieties she carries is expanding. Her prices are very reasonable and the leaves arrived crisp and in excellent condition. I had no loss when I put them down, and within six weeks had little plantlets forming. Blossoms, Birds and Butterflies (blossomsbirdsbutterflies.com)I ordered only leaves from this North Carolina supplier, and I ordered on two separate occasions. The selection on the Internet is terrific and I found it difficult to narrow it down to what I really wanted. This is another home-based business and service is good, but shipping somewhat slower than Cedar Creek and personal service somewhat less than Purple Sky. I did receive an e-mail on a Monday morning letting me know that they had filled out the online shipping label with the USPS. The leaves were shipped that Monday and did not arrive at my house until Thursday, some looking quite wilted. Two leaves of one violet died, but I managed to pull the others through the initial difficult rooting and I have little plantlets emerging. With the second order, there was the same time gap between the shipping notice and delivery and many of the leaves were looking "tired" when I unpacked them. I lost three leaves in the next day, and I have increased humidity in the hopes that the rest pull through and I get some nice plants. JoS Violets Joanne Schrimsher operates this Texas-based African violet business, and has had a violet featured on the cover of the March-April issue of African Violet Magazine, as well as won awards for her violets. You can view an incredible list of standards, minis, trailers, etc. online, but the order form is manual. I printed it off and mailed in a check with my selections and within two weeks, received my order USPS priority mail. Shipping was fast and the leaves were wrapped with great care. However, there was no e-mail alerting me in advance that they were shipping, but I happend to be at home the day the leaves arrived in the mailbox. The box was marked "avoid excessive heat," and "perishible," which can do a lot to alert the post office that the box should be given special handling. This is important since she is located in Texas, where it is much hotter than my location in upstate New York. Only two of the leaves out of about 30 showed signs of wilting, and I placed these between wet paper towels immediately to help them absorb moisture. The website for JoS is: www.geocities.com/josviolets/ Lyndon Lyon Greenhouse (lyndonlyon.com)I ordered the "May Special" from this nationally known supplier. With this order, I specified five violets and they provided one extra free of charge (their choosing as to which violet). I ordered April 16 and received my order on June 5 via UPS. The violets were packed with care, and were healthy specimens, packed in a box marked "LIVE PLANTS, DO NOT EXPOSE TO HEAT OR COLD." I believe that any instructions to the delivery truck driver can only be a good thing. From my experience, the UPS drivers try to do the right thing, and if they are given instructions as to what is in the box, it is to all of our benefit. The only fault I have is that I did not receive an e-mail letting me know that delivery was eminent, and I felt lucky that I was home that day. (We were planning a trip to Virgina the next week, so I was very glad they did not wait another week to ship). The violets looked very good right out of the packing, but I will wait a few days to repot. 
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