Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Hardy Ginger discussion/discovery thread, 0 by gingersrus

gingersrus wrote:
Hikaro, you are right that Roscoeas do not like hot, humid summers, but I agree they are worth a try there in Pennsylvania. The ideal climate (in the US) is in the Pacific northwest, and perhaps coastal California. I know several people in Washington state and in British Colombia who are growing them, but I think they could be used much more widely. There are also good mail order sources for them there. I tried one once that I got from the well-known Alpine and rock garden nursery - Siskyou Rare Plants in Oregon. A Google search would probably find some others. I subscribe to Alpine-L which is the primary rock garden email group. Every now and then there are discussions on Roscoeas and I am sure they have some in their seed exchange program.

When I tried a Roscoea here, it bloomed the first year, then slowly dwindled away and was gone by the third year.

Another ginger you might want to try there is Cautleya spicata, which is another hardy, cool climate ginger. Below is a photo of a huge patch of it that is growing at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden in California. The Hardy Gingers book only rates it hardy down to 15 degrees F., but there are others rated down to 5 degrees F.

Dave Skinner
http://www.gingersrus.com

Cautleya spicata at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden