Dave's garden

We have had several gingers in our yard in Biloxi MS. The" white" blooms profusely every year. The "red" has never bloomed but it has great foliage. Yesterday morning we discovered that what we suspected to be a bloom pod was in fact a group of shell like bracts that are white with pink to red tips. I went to google and searched all of the "red" gingers and nothing looked like it. So I asked google for "gingers" scanned several sites and sure enough at "Dave's Garden" there was a picture of our "red" ginger with the exact same bloom. It turned out to be Alpinias zerumbet. Here is a photo of the bloom today. According to your postors it should open into a beautiful red and yellow bloom. Thank's Dave,
Ralph K

Pretty, pretty!!!!

Judy

Hi RalphK,
Congratulations!!! I have grown alpinias here in Ocean Springs for several years and have never gotten a bloom!!! It does take many years to get established.
You'll love it here on Dave's. Welcome!!!
Janet

RalphK, isn't it great to find these pictures that are posted by gardeners and not an altered catalogue picture.

I googled for a fern yesterday to show someone what mine looked like, the 'image' search had 5 pics on, 3 of them were mine from DG! It can be a surprise to do a google and find your own post linked to at the top of the list.

I guess it was a good enough reason to sign up? You will get a lot of knowledge from here, I hope you enjoy it!

Janet

Thanks for the replies. We had been told that these plants were Red Ginger. When the bloom started I didn't know what to think so I started to "google". Here at Dave's and also the Hawaiian sites are a very good place to find pictures for comparision. The plant now has another bloom opening and it looks like it may be a "classic". I'll post the best pictures from this new bloom next week. It takes sevreal weeks apparently for the bloom to fully open because it opens from the base to the tip progressively. Ralph K

Oh heck, If Dave doesn't mind I'll post another picture of the original bloom now. Here's is the really pretty bloom. The original flower like thing is apparently just bract. The bloom itself comes out of the bract and then expands to show it's throat of red and yellow and the actual reproductive parts.
Ralph

Dave doesn't mind, that's what the site is about, posting!

Thanks for the 'inside' view. I have 2 variegated ones from seed last year, they are just starting to put on some size (small). I hope they turn out variegated!

Janet, if the shell ginger freezes, it usually will not bloom. They bloom the second year. If you can protect them from freezing, they should bloom for you the following spring.

Thanks josegabriele, I'm not sure I will get blooms next year, things are a bit slower here, perhaps the following?

I have another seed grown ginger that's bursting it's pot, a large 15"one, it must have a dozen stems on now and the latest are really thick. I keep it inside over winter, this year it will be difficult because it keeps it's stems and it will take a lot of space with all the stems splaying everywhere. I don't know what it will be, it was a mix of seed. It's 3 years now and I should get flowers next year, or sooner if the latest stems are quick enough for this autumn.