Although the bulbs of this summer-flowering plant are usually not shipped until January to April, there is such a demand for named varieties that it is well to get orders weeks or months in advance.
Gloxinias are natives of Brazil, where it is not only warm but humid. That explains why the bulbs do not like to be kept cool as do so many others.
Plant as soon as received, one tuber to a five-inch pot, barely covering the bulb and using a soil composed of equal parts of peat, good loam with plenty of well-rotted leaf mold and sand.
Keep slightly on the dry side until growth is well started, then increase moisture, always watering from the saucer, using tepid water, and being careful to not drop any on the leaves as sunshine and those wet places cause spots that mark the beauty of the foliage.
Growth is slow and even after buds appear it seems weeks before they open for you to get a glimpse of the velvety sheen in colors that vie with each other in brilliancy.
Gloxinia Varieties To Choose From
Although the bulbs of this summer-flowering plant are usually not shipped until January to April, there is such a demand for named varieties that it is well to get orders weeks or months in advance.
Gloxinias are natives of Brazil, where it is warm and humid. That explains why the bulbs do not like to be kept cool, as do so many others.
Plant as soon as received, one tuber to a five-inch pot, barely covering the bulb and using a soil composed of equal parts of peat, good loam with plenty of well-rotted leaf mold and sand.
Keep slightly on the dry side until growth is well started, then increase moisture, always watering from the saucer, using tepid water, and being careful not to drop any on the leaves as sunshine. Those wet places cause spots that mark the beauty of the foliage.
Growth is slow, and even after buds appear, it seems weeks before they open for you to get a glimpse of the velvety sheen in colors that vie with each other in brilliancy.
Slipper Gloxinia
Then there is another type with a slightly differently shaped trumpet and smaller in size, called the slipper gloxinia. I especially like this in my window garden with African violets relative proportion is in keeping with a well-grown violet.
The texture of the blossom is not as velvety as the larger blossom, but they last longer, and their flowering season is longer.
I have grown a solid rose and a light purple and have seen in conservatories light blue, lavender, and white with rose markings and ruffled edges.
The treatment for both types is the same. After flowering, gradually lessen the water supply, and when tops are dead, give only enough water to prevent shriveling.
For want of a better place, I then put the pots in the back part of a low storage shelf, and except for an occasional light watering, there they stay until new growth appears when they are brought to the light.
The topsoil is then removed and replaced with a rich mixture of sand, peat, and very fine cow manure, and the cycle is repeated.
Now that I live where the hot, humid summers are to the liking of these plants, I am experimenting with other treatments I have read about. I selected two plants, one of each type.
The slipper I continued to water and give its weekly quota of liquid fertilizer, and in 10 days from the time the last blossom had fallen, new buds appeared, and there was new leaf growth both from the base of the plant and from the leaf axil.
The trumpet was cut back to three leaves, and in two weeks, new growth was noticed at the leaf axil though there has not been time for more than that.
Sunlight Requirements For Gloxinias in Different Regions
All of my gloxinias were in the house’s North and south windows, and I cannot say I saw any difference in the blossoms.
The sun here is so different from that in the North that it is unnecessary to shade any of the plants in windows.
After blossoming, they were put out on an east porch where they receive the early morning sun and are protected from strong winds.
To me, these plants have just one disadvantage: they are Summer flowers. A Summer-time vacation may make one miss their brilliant display.
44659 by Ferne S. Kellenberger