Caring for gloxinia

Q.  I have a gloxinia what has just finished blooming. How do I take care of the plant from now on?

 A. If you have ever grown an African violet, the care is quite similar. Give the gloxinia bright but indirect sunlight. You can feed it with an African violet fertilizer. Keep water off the leaves and water with tepid water. Keep the plant away from cool drafts in winter.

 Q.  I have a jade plant with white fluffy things on it and now leaves are dropping. What should I do?

 A.  The plant has a type of soft scale. If the plant is small, take a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and swipe the scale off of the plant. For a larger plant, try weekly applications of a soap spray. Do this for several weeks.