Creating Patterns on African Violet Flowers with Cold Water Damage

Last winter I noticed some African violet flower damage caused by condensation on a cold kitchen window.  The flowers that were close to the glass developed pale markings and damaged patches on their petals.  After seeing this, I wondered whether carefully applying cold water could create decorative patterns on African violet flowers without seriously harming the plant.  Perhaps I could carefully apply cold water and make interesting decorative patterns (or even write something simple) on the petals in a similar way that I can tattoo an apple using sunlight. 

I keep African violets on my kitchen windowsill, they flower a lot during the year.  I love the look of African violets, they are such an underrated house plant.

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I borrowed a fine tipped paint brush from my kids, got some cold water, and carefully painted stripes and patterns on a few flowers.  My kids already had little art brushes, otherwise I would have bought some nice ones like these.  I had no idea if this would work, but hoped the cold water would damage the flowers just enough, but not too much.  I tried to keep everything reasonably symmetrical.

As it turns out, this kind of flower art worked well and looked good.  The photos below are from my winter flowers that I painted with cold water. 

African violet flower damage from cold

I wasn't as neat as I could have been, and had a few accidents and spilled drips here and there.  Some flowers were also too close to the window and got additional damage from condensation. 

I think the flowers I did paint with water looked nice.  I tried to keep everything roughly symmetrical.  It was hard to see where I had painted, and I didn't know how much water to use.  Nor did I know if this could even work the way I hoped it would.  

How to Create Patterns on African Violet Flowers

1. Choose a plant with many blooms.
2. Use a fine paintbrush.
3. Dip the brush in cold water.
4. Paint a simple pattern onto the petals.
5. Wait several days for the markings to appear.
6. Observe the results.

African violet flower painted with cold water

Frequently Asked Questions

Can cold water damage African violet flowers?

Yes. In my experiment, even small amounts of cold water caused visible markings and discoloration on the flower petals.

Does cold water hurt African violet plants?

I only applied water to the petals rather than the leaves or crown. The flowers aged more quickly, but I did not notice obvious damage to the plant itself.

Can you create patterns on African violet flowers?

It appears possible to create simple patterns by carefully applying cold water to the petals with a fine brush.

It is almost winter here, and I have a few African violets that should flower over the cooler weather.  If I remember, and if any are blooming at the right time, I plan to try this again.  

I grow most of my African violets in self wicking pots, these ones look nice, are about 8cm across and are perfect for African violets.  

Given how many flowers this variety of African violet pumps out, I thought I could risk a few blooms.  I probably wouldn't try this on a less vigorous variety.  In case you are considering giving this a try yourself, you need to know that the flowers that have been damaged don't last as long as the untouched ones.  

This variety produces lots of flowers

I have no real idea if this is bad for the plants.  Given I am only damaging the flower petals, I assume it probably isn't overly bad for them.  Just in case I am wrong, I only plan to do this to a few flowers on each stalk at most.

I also learned a bit about how much water to use.  It turns out, as long as the water is cold, and the day is cold, you need very little water to do lasting damage to the petals.  

This was a surprisingly successful experiment. While the cold water probably shortened the life of the affected blooms, it also created interesting patterns and allowed me to make intentional flower art.  I plan to continue experimenting this winter to see how much detail can be added to African violet petals.  I now wonder how detailed I can make my flower art.  Perhaps this winter I will try to draw some love hearts, or write my kids' names.  

If you are interested in giving this a go, it is best to use a variety that produces a lot of blooms.  You may find a good one at a garden center, or I sell leaf cuttings through my for sale page.