My husband surprised me last night by coming home with a beautiful Gloxinia Sinningias - and yes, he indeed bought it at the florist next door from where he works...

My first thought was that I should have no problem with it since it's in the same family as African Violets - I have 2 dozens of those - but after searching the 'net I now realize that the care is completely different, and from what I've been reading those wonderful plants are some of the hardest to keep alive, never mind blooming!

So a few questions for all your experts...

Any good links on detailed care for those plants? Something that would tell me if, for example, I have to deadhead spent flowers, pot size, things like that?

Are they really that hard to care for? After all the reading I've done I'm now wondering if it's going to live more than one week!

I have 2 emplacement choices for it: under fluorescent lights with my African Violets, or hanging in front of a south facing window (it would get no direct sun in that location, but plenty of bright light filtered by a blind)

Thank you everyone for your help!

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

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.