Gloxinia make an excellent display and are superb for conservatory or windowsill pots as they will produce an impressive array of colour and flourish with protection from any harsh weather. Their flowers are spectacular, large trumpet blooms in truly exotic looking colours. They are available as double and single flowers and create great centrepieces for tables or a shady windowsill.
This video demonstrates how to plant Gloxinia tubers into pots, with tips and advice from Jeff Turner.
Gloxinia are not especially hard to grow and if you can grow African Violets, you can grow wonderful gloxinia. Gloxinias are relatively easy to grow from seed, but the plants take seven months from seed to bloom to produce flowers. Once you have a mature gloxinia plant, it can live for years. Gloxinia usually flowers in late winter or early spring, bearing 3-inch-wide bell-shape blooms in rich colours, often marked with contrasting bands or speckles of white.
Closely related to African violets, it prefers warm temperatures and high humidity. Keep water off the foliage to prevent leaf spots. After gloxinia blooms fade, allow the plant to go dormant by withholding water. When new growth begins again, resume watering.
Name: Sinningia speciosa
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; 65-80 degrees F., 55-75 degrees F. when dormant; keep soil evenly moist except when dormant
Size: To 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide
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