- Gloxinia are hardy but endangered by wet conditions
- Gloxinia overwinter in the garden
- How to overwinter the tubers of the gloxinia
Gloxinias, which you cultivate in the garden as an ornamental or climbing plant, are hardy. Although they tolerate very low freezing temperatures, they do not do well with moisture. It is therefore better to dig up the tubers in autumn and overwinter them dry indoors.
Outdoor Gloxinia are very hardy
Gloxinia are hardy but endangered by wet conditions
The gloxinia outdoors is hardy and copes well with very low temperatures. It easily tolerates temperatures down to minus 20 degrees. However, the tubers do not tolerate moisture, which unfortunately often occurs in winter.
If you leave the tubers in the ground over winter, there is a risk that they will rot. Garden pests such as rats, mice and moles often attack the gloxinia tubers.
It therefore makes more sense to take gloxinias out of the ground after the last flowering in autumn and to overwinter them indoors:
- Let tubers dry
- store in a dark, dry place
- if necessary put in paper bag or
- store in dry peat or wood chips
Gloxinia overwinter in the garden
If your gloxinias have a good, somewhat sheltered spot in the garden, you can try overwintering them outside.
However, this only works if the soil is well permeable to water, so that rain and melted water can run off and it does not form waterlogging.
Layer a layer of mulch over the gloxinia site. To protect them from animals, you can place the tubers in a special plant basket (€11.99) before planting.
How to overwinter the tubers of the gloxinia
In the fall, dig up the tubers and place them in a sheltered spot to dry. When the tubers are well dry, pack them in a paper bag or place them in a box with dry peat or wood shavings.
To bring them forward, take the tubers out of their winter quarters from March and plant them in prepared pots. The tubers are planted out from May. Before that, you can also divide them to multiply them.
tips
Gloxinia, which are cultivated as a houseplant all year round, are not hardy. However, they must be kept cooler in autumn and watered less frequently. It is even better if you take the bulbs out of the pot and overwinter them dry, just like garden gloxinias or climbing gloxinias.