Books:

Discovered! 505
Odd Enterprises

Hidden Dollars

How to Make
Money at Home

Small Business
of Your Own

You Can Own
a Business

To that question, Colonel Boineau is compelled to give a negative answer, because his duties on the staffs of Generals Omar Bradley and George S. Patton in the North African campaign, kept him so busy that he had no time to think about violets. And just imagine what old rough-and-ready "Blood and Guts" Patton would have said had he caught one of his staff officers taking time out to raise violets when the Americans were chasing Marshal Rommel's German Army!

It was not until after he was safely back in the United States and his wartime experiences were but memories that Colonel Boineau was introduced to his hobby. With V for victory accomplished, he had plenty of time then to think about V for violets.

In 1947, Colonel and Mrs. Boineau bought some potted African violets to brighten their quarters at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Colonel Boineau was then stationed. Not only were they launched on a hobby, but in less than two years, their hobby grew into a thriving business.

"At first, Mrs. Boineau and I regarded the African violet as just another pot plant," the Colonel relates. "When it stopped blooming, as most African violets do in order to rest, we lost interest. We were informed that it would bloom again, if we gave it the right care. It became a challenge."

THE BOINEAUS bought more plants and their cultivation of them was so successful that they soon had 300 of them in their living quarters at Fort Benning. Their botanical efforts were deserving of compliments, but so many African violets nearly crowded the Colonel out of his quarters. It was just at this time when the genus Saintpaulia was outflanking him that Colonel Boineau thought about raising the plants on a commercial scale. On a trip to his home town, Columbia, South Carolina, to visit his brothers, he inquired about the possibility of an African violet-growing enterprise, and found that nobody there was raising the plants commercially.

With eligible longevity, Colonel Boineau asked for retirement from the Army. Swapping his active colonelcy for civilian status, Boineau set out to add profit to pleasure in his hobby of cultivating African violets. The first business problem confronted him before he left Fort Benning.

During his career as an infantry officer, Boineau encountered and solved many problems of logistics. But how to transport 300 African violets from Fort Benning, Georgia to Columbia, South Carolina? Colonel Boineau found the answer in his brother's station wagon, which he borrowed and temporarily converted into a "mobile greenhouse" by installing a frame to hold the metal trays in which the violets were placed. Colonel Boineau, taking the wheel of the station wagon with the caution of a driver carrying bullion in an armored truck, followed behind the van that moved his household furnishings.

THE BOINEAUS moved into the residence in Columbia, where they now live. They built a greenhouse, 25 by 15 feet, on the property, and with the 300 plants they brought from Fort Benning as a start, they launched themselves into the business of raising African violets. This was late in the summer of 1948, and Colonel and Mrs. Boineau have kept no tally of the thousands of African violet plants they've raised since.

Following a method of cultivation recommended by their friend, R.A. Brown, a florist of Newnan, Georgia, and which proved successful in experiments, the Boineaus constructed three watertight benches in their greenhouse. The benches are lined with aluminum foil and a two-inch layer of gravel covered with two inches of sand. Water heated by thermostat control flows through pipes that run under the benches. Warm water is fed into trough-like benches in which the potted violets are placed. The hot water pipes that run under the benches keep the water in the benches warm. When the water comes up to the proper level in the benches, the plants draw the moisture from the bottom. They are rarely watered from the top. Temperature is steadily maintained at about 70 degrees.

Colonel Boineau says that care should be exercised in matching up plants and pots according to size. Small plants should not be set in pots that are too large. The soil should be porous and retentive of moisture. The Boineaus prepare a special soil mixture of leaf mold, garden earth, sifted cinders, sawdust and bone meal. The soil is sterilized with hot water. Once a week the plants are fertilized, and insecticide treatment of the soil in the pots twice a year, keeps down pests. The greenhouse is well ventilated. African violets must have fresh air and sufficient sunlight, but they must be shielded from the direct rays of the sun. Too much heat and direct sunlight will cause the leaves of the plants to droop.

VIOLETS IN the Boineau greenhouse are raised from leaf settings. A leaf is placed in a jar of water and when it begins to grow roots, it is transferred to soil in a small pot. When the roots become bound, the plant, then in a later stage of development, is removed from the small pot and set in a large one to grow to maturity. The time from leaf to bloom is nine months.

About eighty-five of the one hundred or so varieties in which African violets grow, have been raised by the Boineaus. Predominant colors are blue, white, pink, lavender, red and purple with shades of varying depth. Some of the plants are two-toned. All the blooms have a gold pistil. African violet plants of prize growth spread outward from the crown. The leaves are thick and heart-shaped. The plants bloom about every two months. The Boineaus have noticed as many as thirty-six blooms on an African violet plant at one time.

Among the customers calling at the Boineau greenhouse are people from all sections of South Carolina and some from other states. The business of the Boineaus, their pleasant service and the beauty of their plants have become well-known. Occasionally the Boineaus ship plants. When they do, they have to take extra pains in preparing them for shipment. The leaves are delicate and must be protected. In preparing the plants for shipment, the Boineaus raise the leaves and wrap the pot and plant in a wet newspaper.

COLONEL BOINEAU personally advertises his business by giving talks at garden clubs in Columbia and nearby towns. The best advertisement, the Boineaus find, is the satisfied buyer who tells others about the plants. Each customer who goes away pleased usually sends back two or three more buyers. The greenhouse of the Boineaus is easily located, as they reside at the intersection of two main thoroughfares just beyond the city limits of Columbia, and in their front yard, a sign advertises "African Violets" in large letters. It is the sign that halts many out-of-town and out-of-state customers who in their travels, stop to make purchases.

Prices that the Boineaus charge for their plants, range from 75 cents to $3 apiece. The smaller plants are sold for 75 cents, while larger specimens bring the higher prices. The most popular varieties include the Blue Boy, Lavender Lady, White Lady, Red Girl and Purple Prince, which fetch prices of $1 and $1.25. The Boineaus recently started supplying small wholesale orders of their plants for the Woolworth's' store in Columbia. But the bulk of their business continues in retail trade.

Many flower hobbyists are discouraged from African violet cultivation because of the difficulty involved in care of the plants. But the difficulty is what Colonel and Mrs. Boineau appreciate. The challenging problems deepen their interest and get them completely absorbed in their work. If their hobby was such a simple thing that it had no complexities, it could not have held their interest long. The joy of achieving results is magnified by the difficulty of the problems. The appearance of the exquisite blooms gives the Boineaus a thrill that more than compensates for any work they have to do.