Look at Alsobia, Codonanthe and X-Codonatanthus
http://gesneriads.ca/genemcod.htm -

they trail and send roots and Codonanthe has cute blooms (x-codonatanthus - too)

Episcia Silver Skies will do great- it is a mini with bright red blooms.

I would say that mini-violet and mini-trailer will do good - minis, not semi-minis. They will stay compact and provide a necessary accent for your dish garden. But I would keep them in their pots - size of a solo cup or smaller - like a condiment cup - and cover the edges of the pots with soil or moss. They would do better if you can repot them every 3-4 months, But they wouldn't be spreading. There is a Japanese method of growing trailers - pinning the offshoots to the soil so they will give roots and send more shoots - until you get a whole lawn of a bloomng trailer. But looks like you plan more of a dish garden. So everything should be small, no lawns,

Good luck and and post the pic please, we all will be interested to see it.

I.

Thank you for the advice...this means that I am going to the flower show in Ct! Are there any mini trailers that would be better for this than others? I was thinking about getting Pixie Runaround or Spunky Trail. I really like bell shaped blooms.

(not to intrude on your thread) but I just got Pixie Runaround and I can't wait to see what she looks like in a few months.

dora

You are not intruding at all. Is there any chance you would be willing to share a picture of a blooming Pixie? I have only seen the one on AVSA's website. Are the leaves as tiny as Rob's Dandy Lion?

I'd be happy to share "when" I get a bloom.
I am recovering/rebounding from a bad case of thrips and I have been bloom-less for about 6 weeks now.

I just planted the Pixie Runaround and I have about 12 stems/leaves.

I'll have to go and see what Rob's Dandy Lion actually looks like for the comparison.
I'm leaving for out of town this afternoon for business travel and won't be able to see about it till Monday.
Dora

Spunky Trail may be difficult to grow. I believe it is a micro miniature trailer and would not trail that much. It tends to stay very small.

I recommend any of the Rob's trailers, also, Cirelda, Fairy Fountains, Falling Snow and others.

Nancy

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I looked those up on the AVSA website and they looked nice. The more I look around the larger I need the fish bowl to be. There is one that wouldn't work in the fishbowl, but is amazing in all the pictures I have found of it; The Madam. The description says that it is a standard trailer though. Too big for my growing area now. There is a truss with my DH so no standards and really no trailing standards.

Right now, the leaves on my just repotted Pixie Runaround are between the size of a pencil eraser and a dime.

Dora

So that won't be flowering, huh? :) Good for you being able to grow them from cuttings. That never works out for me here, suckers will survive, but not leaf cuttings. Maybe I just try at the wrong time of the year for the climate here. I always get it in my head to try in winter when I have a hard time keeping the humidity in the 30-40% range.

Low & behold,
I do have a Rob's Dandy Lion - it was one of the freebies that I got at our last AV meeting. I don't usually enter them into my database until I've removed them from the plastic bags and actually seen that they are going to make it.
the leaves on the Dandy Lion are tiny......much smaller than the leaves on my Pixie Runaround.

Dora

Thank you very much for mentioning that. I couldn't really tell the size of the leaves from the photos I have found. I am rather new to semis or minis and the tininess of the leaves on Dandy Lion were intimidating to me. It just looked so fragile. The only other african violet that I have right now is Pewter Bells and those leaves are more what I am used to. Live and learn, there is more than just an adult size difference between minis and semis.
I have never gotten a bad freebie yet, even if it is something I wouldn't have ordered. Thanks again.

I'm getting confused about all this talk of the "teeny" leaves on Rob's Dandy Lion.. The leaves on my Rob's Dandy Lion were typical semimini leaves, which is why it went to live at my friend Lenny's house.

Could it be that your RDL is just a baby and will grow to its normal semimini size after some time?

My Dandy Lion is about 8 months old. That is what is printed on the side of the pot from Rob's Violets. I have no idea at what age an african violet can be considered full sized. The leaves are half the size of the Pewter Bells that is listed as a semi and the Lion is a month older. I am sorry for any confusion that I may have caused. I am just happy that Pixie Runaround has larger leaves, thou if I keep looking at Rob's website narrowing it down to one plant will not be easy.

IN MY GARDEN
----------------

In my garden I feel at home
as I walk amidst the fragrance
and the flowers,
for I never feel alone
as the Lord sends down
his copious showers.
I feel his presence there,
and the spirit on the wind,
for his love is everywhere,
and my thoughts keep returning
to him.
In my garden I have a feeling
of contentment and peace,
and I cherish the time I spend,
for my tranquility continues
to increase,
and on the Lord I continue to depend.
In my garden I do not fear or fret,
but I give way to introspect,
and the Lord I do not forget,
for his laws and ways I do accept.

The Wandering Poet: Lee Desper 11-11-08

Here is a link that might be useful: IN MY GARDEN