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Sinningia 'Lovely' (Dark Pink Hardy Gloxinia) - This tuberous perennial hybrid of two South American species forms a spreading cluster of upright stems of soft rounded gray-green leaves. These leaves rise up from potato-like tubers to 2 feet tall and in late spring to early summer are produced the 3-foot-tall unbranched inflorescences topped by long pendulous tubular pink flowers with flared petal tips.
Plant in full sun (where it blooms best) to light shade in just about any soil or in a pot where its spreading nature can be controlled and irrigate regularly to sparingly. Best if kept on the dry side in winter when semi-deciduous. Because of its water storing basal tubers it is drought tolerant even when in active growth in a container. This plant is tolerant to cold temperatures possibly as low as 5° F - the tubers can be exposed to be shown off in a pot but then it is more sensitive to damage from cold temperatures. These flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and one parent of this hybrid, Sinningia tubiflora can handle salt spray near the beach so very possibly this hybrid can as well.
Sinningia 'Lovely' is the result of crossing Sinningia sellovii, which has rough textured larger green leaves and dusky red flowers with the white flowering gray foliaged Sinningia tubiflora, which we also grow. This hybridization work was done by the late Dr Jon T. Lindstrom, Associate Professor of Horticulture at University of Arkansas and the plant named by Carl Schoenfeld and Wade Roitsch of Yucca Do Nursery.
The genus was named for Wilhelm Sinning (1792-1874) a gardener and botanist at the University of Bonn Botanical Garden. We received this plant in 2012 from Tony Avent who was growing it and many other Sinningia at his Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. We spent 12 years building up stock and were first able to offer it for sale in 2024. We also continue to grow the species, and one parent of this hybrid, Sinningia tubiflora as well as another lighter pink hybrid Sinningia 'Invasion Force' and a white and yellow hybrid called Sinningia 'Butter and Cream'.
This information about Sinningia 'Lovely' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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