I'm sure you've heard the story a million times...

I was walking through the garden section of Home Despot (isn't that what *you* call it?), looking for the peat substitute I had been told about (renewable -yay!, made of shredded coir, but pH neutral -boo!) when these *ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL* giant flowers jumped into my cart. Well, I got them home and began to wonder what I had gotten myself into, especially as I was about to go on vacation for two weeks!

The label said Gloxinia. So; did a search on gardenweb and found gesneriads; read a bit and decided to treat them about the same way as my African Violets; set them up, and went on vacation.

They were, of course, overwatered while I was gone, and two of them lost all the old growth. I've berated and cajoled, and they all seem to be surviving and have new greenery.

Now...

As a total newbie to these amazing plants, I have some questions (since I seem to have kept them out of the compost heap - so far).

What is their habit/shape? What are they supposed to look like? The two that weren't quite killed have *two* new stems coming up. Is this normal? To be encouraged? Discouraged? Do you prune them? The ones that weren't almost drowned have these long stalks that the flowers came off of, one or two *giant* leaves, and a few mini leaves around the big ones. What shape should these plants be and how do I encourage them that direction?

Do they like the same basic treatment as AVs? How should I treat them (other than *NOT* drowning them)? Do they want food all the time? To be left alone?

Please help, they were so very beautiful...

Feegle