PlantFiles Pictures: 'Raven' (Kaempferia rotunda), 1 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
I have grown a Hedychium from a seed mix, it is in it's 3rd year now, inside and growing a strong new shoot, hope to get flowers this year. Only got one! Also have 2 seedlings of Alpinia zerumbet variegata, have you come across http://www.tradewindsfruit.com that is where I got it from, very cheap.

Last year I bought a rhizome of Hedychium ellipticum, which I left in the greenhouse in February, it grew late but I was lucky as it was very cold. I got a flower nearly fully open in September but it turned cold and it went soggy! It is supposed to be hardy to zone 7 I think, so will put some in the ground. We often don't have warm enough summers being a small island. I also bought a Curcuma zedoaria, also left in the greenhouse, which was stupid and it rotted. It was Urban Jungle here that had them bare root, haven't seen them this year as yet. I got a supermarket piece of ginger to grow, it has increased the root size and is inside for winter, interesting to see what it does.

That's a healthy looking plant. We used to get frosts where I grew up, Hindmarsh Tiers on the way to Victor Harbor, but they always thawed when the sun warmed up. I have memories of riding my bike a mile to the school bus stop and getting frozen fingers and toes, it somehow seems worse when you are used to the heat.

This is my seed grown Hedychium, will have to wait for it to flower to know what it is