Gloxinia Roi de Rouge

Gloxinia, also known as Sinningia, is best grown indoors or in a frost-free greenhouse in the UK. It likes bright, filtered light and a warm, sheltered position, but direct midday sun can scorch the leaves and flowers.

Plant the tuber in a small pot of light, free-draining compost, with the hollow or indented side facing upwards and just below the compost surface. Water sparingly until shoots appear, then keep the compost lightly and evenly moist.

Gloxinia leaves can mark or develop brown patches if water is splashed onto them, particularly with cold water. Water the compost around the edge of the pot rather than the leaves or centre of the plant, and avoid leaving the pot in direct sun.

Gloxinia may stop flowering if it is too dark, too cold, allowed to dry out completely or kept overly wet. Give it bright indirect light, steady warmth and regular but moderate watering while it is actively growing.

After flowering, Gloxinia naturally enters a dormant period. Gradually reduce watering as the leaves yellow and die back, then keep the tuber dry in its pot somewhere frost-free. Start watering again when new growth appears in spring.