第2099期:Garden Group Names 2024 Year of African Violet

The African violet, a plant from Tanzania that came to the U.S. in the late 1800s, received a special honor from the National Garden Bureau (NGB).

非洲紫罗兰是一种来自坦桑尼亚的植物，于 1800 年代末传入美国，获得了国家园林局 (NGB) 的特殊荣誉。

The organization named 2024 “The Year of the African Violet.” Other plants, flowers and vegetables for 2024 include: squash, Angelonia, lily, buddleia and hosta. Past years honored amaryllis, orchids and broccoli.

该组织将 2024 年命名为“非洲紫罗兰年”。 2024 年的其他植物、花卉和蔬菜包括：南瓜、Angelonia、百合、醉鱼草和玉簪。 过去几年表彰了孤挺花、兰花和西兰花。

Jessica Damiano is the garden writer for the Associated Press news service. She recently wrote about the African violet.

杰西卡·达米亚诺是美联社新闻机构的花园作家。 她最近写了一篇关于非洲紫罗兰的文章。

Damiano said the violet has been one of the most popular house plants in the U.S. since it arrived. She said the plant, however, is not a violet. It only has the name because of its colorful, purple and white leaves.

达米亚诺说，紫罗兰自抵达美国以来一直是美国最受欢迎的室内植物之一。 然而她说这种植物不是紫罗兰。 因其叶子颜色鲜艳，紫、白相间而得名。

In fact, she noted, they are related to the Saintpaulia genus. They are named for German Walter von Saint Paul.

事实上，她指出，它们与非洲堇菜属有关。 它们以德国人沃尔特·冯·圣保罗的名字命名。

The popularity of the plant is one reason why the NGB chose the violet as the “houseplant” of the year, said Diane M. Blazek, the organization’s director. She said the plant’s name has appeared over 300,000 times on social media.

该组织主任黛安·M·布拉泽克 (Diane M. Blazek) 表示，这种植物的受欢迎程度是 NGB 选择紫罗兰作为年度“室内植物”的原因之一。 她说，该植物的名字在社交媒体上出现了超过 30 万次。

Beyond popularity, Blazek noted, the violets are easy to grow and people who breed flowers are working on creating new varieties. Blazek said, “they are coming through the pipeline.”

布拉泽克指出，除了受欢迎之外，紫罗兰还很容易种植，花卉培育者正在努力创造新品种。 布拉泽克说：“他们正在通过管道。”

Blazek said people once thought of the violets as “Grandma’s plants,” or that they were no longer popular. But, she said, the violet “has not gone out of favor at all.”

布拉泽克说，人们曾经认为紫罗兰是“祖母的植物”，或者说它们不再受欢迎。 但是，她说，紫罗兰“根本没有失宠”。

The NGB started in 1920. The group aimed to give reliable gardening information to Americans, many of whom had only recently started growing plants at home. The founder was James Burdett. He helped develop the idea of “victory gardens.” The gardens started during World War I as way for Americans to grow some of their own food.

NGB 成立于 1920 年。该组织旨在向美国人提供可靠的园艺信息，其中许多人最近才开始在家种植植物。 创始人是詹姆斯·伯德特。 他帮助提出了“胜利花园”的想法。 这些花园始于第一次世界大战期间，供美国人种植自己的食物。

Today, the NGB continues the work started by Burdett. It recommends plants, flowers and vegetables each year.

如今，NGB 继续开展伯德特发起的工作。 它每年都会推荐植物、花卉和蔬菜。

Many people like the African violet because it is easy to grow. It does not need direct sunlight; it does not need too much water and does not need a lot of fertilizer. However, it must receive special care to do extremely well.

许多人喜欢非洲紫罗兰，因为它很容易种植。 不需要阳光直射； 它不需要太多的水，也不需要太多的肥料。 然而，它必须得到特别的照顾才能做得非常好。

Blazek said the plants like moisture in the air. So, if you live in a very dry place, they might not do well. If you bring them inside during winter, Damiano suggests, you should run a device that adds moisture to the air – a humidifier – before you take them back outside. They need warmth but do not do well in high heat. Be sure to consider your climate before planting them.

布拉泽克说，这些植物喜欢空气中的水分。 所以，如果你住在一个非常干燥的地方，它们可能会表现不佳。 达米亚诺建议，如果你在冬天把它们带进屋里，你应该在把它们带回屋外之前先运行一个可以增加空气湿度的设备——加湿器。 它们需要温暖，但在高温下表现不佳。 种植之前一定要考虑你的气候。

In spring and summer, Damiano said, if the plants are indoors, place them near a window that faces north or east. That way they do not get too much sun. In the winter, the plants may be placed closer to windows because the sun is not too strong at that time for people who live in mid-northern climates.

达米亚诺说，在春季和夏季，如果植物在室内，请将它们放在朝北或朝东的窗户附近。 这样他们就不会受到太多阳光照射。 在冬天，植物可以放置在靠近窗户的地方，因为对于生活在中北部气候的人来说，那时的阳光不太强烈。

Feed the plants only every two to three months. Be sure to use a fertilizer for African violets. And do not worry about their roots getting crowded by other plants – they like cozy pots.

每两到三个月给植物施肥一次。 一定要为非洲紫罗兰使用肥料。 不用担心它们的根部被其他植物挤满——它们喜欢舒适的花盆。

With good care, the violets may show their colors all year.

如果照顾得好，紫罗兰可以全年展示其颜色。