When does this bloom? Time of year and at what age from rizome?(sp)
White butterfly ginger.
Hi
Will tell you my experience, mine did not bloom the 1st year, we moved so I had to dig them up last March and replant. Even w/ my mistreating them they bloomed in early fall, 2nd year- my daughter lives a few miles from me and hers bloomed a little earlier, more like late summer. Mine are still blooming, smell beautiful and I love them. I will enjoy them until 1st freeze.
That sound great! Have you found them to be invasive?
Heavinscent,
Mine bloomed the first year in mid-September, and were planted in early May. Some of the other Hedychiums, like Disney, bloom quite a bit earlier than Butterfly for me. But NOTHING beats Butterfly for scent in my opinion!
April, I am green with envy that you still haven't had your first frost!
No not really invasive- I save that word for thiings I don't like. Let's just say they multiply readily, enough that I almost always have some to share- and still not so bad as some other things. Have you ever planted Dwarf Mexican Petunia/Katie Ruellia? Now that's invasive.
lol
Nathalyn:
It doesn't always happen that we have such warm weather this time of year. Last Xmas we had snow- a freak occurrance here, in 26 years that I have lived here this was only the 3rd time. I am enjoying the long bloom time, it almost makes living through the summers here worthwhile!
I absolutely agree w/ you about the scent of Butterfly! I cannot think of a more wonderful scent! I think I will try some of the Hedychiums if they bloom earlier. Do you recommend any one or more in particular?
Thanks
Vossner- you are close!
Dandelions and crabgrass, they are invasive, but I could never consider anything that smells so lovely as white butterfly ginger invasive- I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, or how large is your yard? LOL
April,
I love all the Hedychiums -both scented and unscented. They give a great tropical look and other than regular watering, they are not much trouble (i.e. not pest prone!). Pink "V" and Disney bloom earlier for me. I have added Dr. Moy (because the variegated foliage is striking) and Greenii (because of the striking orange blooms).
Also if you haven't grown any curcumas, you may want to consider them. They start blooming in early July for me and bloom non-stop through my first frost. Most of them don't require as much sun and I mix them in front of my larger hedychiums.
Photo is Hidden Ginger Curcuma - - beautiful, velvety foliage
Oh yes I have hidden ginger! It's lovely. I have a few planted and I think they are very tropical looking and breath taking.
Think I'll try Dr, Moy and Greenii for sure- I am a fool for variegation and for some reason I have been attracted to oranges and reds this past year or so!
Thanks for the suggestions.
Believe me....Yellow and White Hedychiums ARE invasive. You pull them up/they come back. You pull them up some more/ they come back. You throw them in the compost, they sprout. They grow en masse, are not killed by Round Up....so we throw them where e dont mind and enjoy the heck out of their perfume in the fall!!!
Mine start blooming in July and continue till almost fall. I wouldnt call them invasive, just stubborn. They kind of remind me of cannas, they will sprout and grow in almost any environment.Most of mine did not bloom until the second year, but I did plant a few in another spot that bloomed first year.
Go on and gush about them while I still here without! lol. Any one know of a good site where I can buy some? My local nusery s have a very limited selection of gingers.
Jim from http://home.rose.net/~jimeds/gingers.htm has a nice selection at reasonable prices. The tubers are heavy enough that they can be pricey to ship, but Jim's prices are reasonable and he doesn't overcharge for shipping.
Well I am sure that a lot of what I grow would be invasive in Hawaii- you guys have a growing season that is non-stop- most of the time we have a hard freeze that kills everything back to the ground! That kind of slows things down a bit. I do agree that the gingers can be somewhat invasive, but they are easy- if not tedious- to cut back. I am pretty good at shovel pruning!LOL
Most of my yard is sunny and in the summer many plants just can't tolerate it, but suprisingly my gingers did very well so they are pretty addaptable.
Which Gingers do you have?
Alpinia zerumbet (Shell Ginger)- not varrgated, it's usually seen in the varigated form
Curcuma cordata 'Jewel Curcuma'
Hedychium coronarium (Butterfly Ginger)
Kaempferia rotunda, K. Jungle Gold, K Rotunda, K. Brush Strokes
I am planning on adding a few more this year, would love more, but shade is in short supply in my yard.
Which do you grow? I am digging up some gingers for someone in Missouri, probably next week- do you want some?
April
I have none yet. I have some comming from my Mom that she got in Hawaii she isnt to keen on names she just said it was white with a some yellow and it smelled good. I garden for fragrance so anything that smells good is welcome in my yard.
*April you have mail*
This message was edited Jan 8, 2006 10:36 AM
Heavinscent
I have to admitt that I am not a huge fan of white flowers but whatever you feel about white flowers, the fragrance of white butterfly ginger is just amazing. In late summer, early fall when I would go outside the air was full of their perfume and it was intoxicating. A few times I took a flower or two and floated it in water inside the house, even though they don't last long, the flowers filled a room w/ their fragrance! Smell is good. It's hard for me to plant flowers/shrubs that don't have beautiful smelling flowers.
It has only been this past year or so, at the constant nagging of my 27 year old daughter that I have begun to learn the names of plants. LOL, before that it was "you know, that bush w/ the red flowers that smell really nice..."
April
April, have you checked out the fragrant gardening forum yet? If you like fragrants its the place to be!
No, but I will, thanks for the info!
If anyone wants white butterfly ginger, just send me postage you are willing to spend and I will send rhizomes. I have plenty and I do love them, but they spread into the pathways and have to be removed. They spread faster if the soil is a little damp. I have some in damp and some in dry soil. They ones in drier soil took longer to really get thick, but I've had them so long now that they have created a better soil where they are located.
Email for my address if interested.
Does anyone grow the butterfly ginger in full sun? I've always had mine in part sun. I'm re-landscaping my front yard that has full sun, and if I don't have to experiment and kill...I won't :) Thanks
Rj
Pam, I assume your butterfly gingers die back during the winter???
You have dmail.
Barbara
White butterfly ginger does die back in the winter, provided the weather turns cold enough. Currently, due to odd weather mine is still blooming. Only my peacock gingers and hidden gingers have died back.
I don't think they will tolerate full sun, especially in Houston. I have grown the hidden ginger in full sun or near full sun w/ heavy mulch and extra water.
Happy dance! Happy dance! Guess what the mailman brought me today -- the new Logee's catalog! Yippee!
Barbara
Okay, thankyou. I suspected they wouldn't, never hurts to ask though. Rj
I got mine as a rhizome from a friend then living in Savannah.
It was about the size of my hand.
I started it in the late Fall of 2004 in the Plantroom.
I grew it out all Summer in partial shade in the pond.
It bloomed a few times in late September and early/mid October 2005.
I brought it into our recently finished GH in late October fully expecting it to die back or go dormant.
It has actually grown and is now throwing new shoots.
I'm thinking it will have to be cut out of the 8" pot it's in soon.
Ric
Ric, it will grow out of that pot in a hurry.
rjuddharrison, Actually, they will grow in full sun. I think the key to butterfly ginger is more in the soil. I have some in full sun and some in part shade. But I really belive the richness and moisture in the soil are what count. They spread faster in a slightly moist/damp soil. Over the years I have left the dead foliage to mulch the rhizomes in winter and it has improved the soil that was the dry sunny spot to the point that they have spread dramaticallly there too. But it did take longer than the other spot that was part shade and had richer soil and was damp all the time(we let grey water run in that area).
I think that our sun is somewhat more intense here, a bit too much for the butterfly, it may grow but the leaves will be crispy and the flowers will not last very long.
I have grown hidden ginger in full sun and it blooms well but the foliage looks ratty, burnt, etc.
Lots of people in Houston grow varigated shell ginger in full sun- mine never look good, but I see many others around that due.
I am on the panhandle of Florida, aprilwillis, so I think in some parts of Texas the sun may be more intense than what we have here.
I'd be more than happy to trade you! Our summer sun is brutal- they say we are 9a, but I am afraid it's become more like 9b- I don't know if I can tolerate too many more.
Thanks, Yes I agree with the soil playing a key role. And it is true living here I laugh when I see a plant requiring full sun. I ask myself, full sun where? Seattle, Houston, West, East, South?
In my new landscaping I will create a little shade and give it a whirl. I do have an excess of them right now.
When I was in Costa Rica - Manuel Antonio - the road side was nothing but butterfly ginger...it was heavenly smell!
thanks for the input.
rj