LittleSeedling,

The AGGS website is a great source for you. They have a special forum on florist gloxinias. Anything you might think of to ask has already been answered! Here's the link:

http://aggs.org/cgi-local/bbs.cgi?forum=florist_gloxinia_questions&task=list

Have fun at the site and with your new beauty.

Betty

Great link GessieGirl, just what I was looking for! Thanks a lot!

Florist gloxinias are relatively easy to care for. The major problem is avoiding bud blast (the plants probably came originally from a greenhouse, were moved into a dimly lit and not especially humid spot in a florist shop and when they are further moved into a similar home environment, the yet-to-open buds tend to brown off.

Aside from that, conditions that favor AVs will be OK for gloxinias, though the latter appreciate somewhat brighter light. When the plant has finished blooming and the foliage is starting to decline, decrease the watering. Remove dead and dying foliage and store the pot in an out of the way place, moistening the soil slightly from time to time. When new sprouts appear, repot the tuber keeping the upper third above soil level.

Florist gloxinias tend to be big plants and are not as suitable for light culture as are the newer hybrids which have a higher ratio of blooms to leaf size.