OPEN HOUSE AT GINGERLAND!!!!

AUGUST 5 & 6
August OPEN HOUSE beginning August 5th and 6th. We will be having our official guided tours the first weekend of August, but will be open to the public all month giving expert advice on growing your gingers and butterfly gardens. See hundreds of gingers as well as many other plants blooming, along with the flowers you're sure to see quite a few varieties of butterflies, so bring your camera. Hours the 5th & 6th will be 9-5 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. All other days of the month call ahead for hours, if coming in large groups please call ahead for appointments. Join us at: 13855 N.E. 47th Ave. Anthony (Ocala area-call or email for directions) 352-620-8681 leneobrien@aol.com
Looking forward to meeting many more fellow ginger addicts from Dave's Garden.
Please remember that we don't use a lot of chemicals in our yard, so that we don't harm our butterflies and other critters we live with, so therefor we do have mosquitos, after all this is Florida and we water here daily, so... :)
The gingers are really blooming this time of the year and we love to share the beauty with our friends and neighbors.
Liz

Globba alba 'White Dragon'

Hedychiums

Curcuma 'Purple Prince'

WOW!! I would love to come visit but can't..drats!! We will be starting school on August 10..so I have to get buses washed and cleaned out the week before....maybe we can have more of a photo show on here for those who envy your place...lol...

Strongly recommend the trip to everyone. We have been there twice and spent 3 hours each time. Karen

I just wanted to remind anyone that's coming out this weekend (or any time) to bring mosquito repellant. We've had a little sprinkle every day and I don't fog my place (kills all the good guys) so btween sprinklers running 12 hours a day, a little rain and 6000 plants you get a few of the flying vampires :{
Liz
PS don't forget your camers, butterflies, hummers (and other birds), critters and caterpillars along with blooms a plenty.

Group of Dr. Moy

HI Liz, I just got done emailing you on your gingers, didn't realize you were here on Daves too LOL

wish I lived down there, i'd jump all over this opportunity to view that open house.

kathy

Hi Kathy,
Small worl huh?... I see you're 7b almost zone 8? I'll get together a list for you and email it.
Glad you liked the pics. I'll put togehter some photos of 'Wish you were here' type, I'll walk through the nusery/my yard and take photos and title them for you.
Very nice 'meeting' you.
Liz
Something like this..

oh my word, is that your yard. I'm so jealous LOL

Thanks for the extra time your taking with the pictures and lists I appreciate that. Sounds like i've found the right place for gingers

kathy

Could I have a list of your gingers,please? I am always looking and looking and looking...lol...

Liz,
I 'm sorry I missed the open house. I did enjoy meeting you on Wednesday afternoon. Love all the beautiful gingers!!!
Be by to see you again soon as DH let's me have the p/u.
Shellie

Hi there...its pam...got my gingers safely home and they are in the shade around the pool....EXCEPT...the only one that I cant remeber its name...the one with the little red pepper looking ends....you said that was a sun loving ginger...does that mean full sun? And the african one with the big pink flowers...how much sun does that take. I want the flowers to keep coming, but the leaves are so perfect and pretty on that plant I dont want to burn it. Thanks for having us. Wishing I had gotten a few I didnt...of course, as you had to witness ;o...I was so dern hot at that point. Well..your not far...going to send for the photo albulm./..want to try to make my wish list in bloom order...so I get them before they bloom. thanks again

Moodene,
Just email me at leneobrien@aol.com with your regular email and I'll send you list and photo album.
Picture below is Curcuma Sulee Rainbow
Liz

Shellie,
Just stop by any time. Enjoyed having you here.
Liz

Pam,
The Costus Woodsonii 'Dwarf French Kiss' is FULL sun, for real:)
The siphonochilus kirkii'Pink Trumpet' is shade or filtered light, no direct sunlight, they will burn up in any direct sunlight.
I had a blast ya'll have to come back. I had a really good time. will look for your email for the album.
Liz

OPEN HOUSE for September: 2nd & 3rd Same hours as the August Open House. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Had a lot of fun last time meeting several people from DG.
Liz
PS If you can't make it to the Open House and would still like to come out that would be great too, just let me know when.

do i cut the french kiss in half when planting like the other one...or does this one like to go in 'as is'

Only if you want to divide it, otherwise just plant it like is and let the clump get big :)
Liz

i didnt know if it would help it get fat like the other one...with the oragne flowers lol worry i dont know the names worth a hoot. will tho. just common ones probably...like my shanpoo ginger that i have had everyone squeezing pinecones on, and they just keep fill right back up. That pink african one is blooming its heart out..even has another stem with blooms...that makes six at a time going. Smells sooooooooo good. thanks

You're quite welcome ma'am, it's nice seeing someone else get as excited about their gingers I am :)
Don't worry about the names, that why I put tags with them ..lol
Besides, they know who they are :)
Come back whenever you get a chance, had a really good time.
Liz

WOW, would love to be there...but alas a bit too far...
A newbie with gingers and very far out of zone... BUT
I have flower spikes on my "Tara" and with any luck
still enough heat this summer to open the blooms.
I bought some rhizomes last spring and potted them
to produce great foliage...no blooms. This spring I
potted them up indoors - early (after a winter in my
cold room), then transplanted them into my flower beds.
They are super lush and tropical looking and can't wait
to see if they are going to open!! They attract enough
attention now, can't imagine if they open....lol

Hi John,
Very kewl, I just sent off about 50 gingers that are going to live in Victoria, BC..lol You need a Costus Barbatus, you can keep ir in a nice big pot and you'll not only have an awesome tropical looking plant, but you 'pet' the undersides of the leaves, they feel like bunny ears :) It actually does well in a pot and will start sending up an inflorescence arounf the beginning of March and it will continue to grow and have those luscious bright yellow blooms until like November. Can you tell it's my favorite? :)
Do you bring your Tara inside in the winter? I hope it opens for you. Hedychium x 'Daniel Weeks' is the first to open for us every year, that one would open in time for you, it smells heavenly and it's pretty also and a good vigorous grower.
email me at leneobrien@aol.com and I'll send you my photo album, I've been having a blast taking pictures, over 500 actually :) and I still don't have pictures of the over 200 hundred gingers I have. Some are just so photogenic that I can't help myself, I can't stop at just one.
Liz

Thanks Liz, I am waiting very impatiently for it to open... I definitely
bring them in for the winter, as our winters can be cold and wet. Although
not cold by Canadian standards, we do usually have a few days that would
toast the rhizomes even if well mulched. Our major problem is the
cursed winter wet... especially for tubers and rhizomes, that is a deadly combo.
Victoria, although further north than us, has a drier zone 8 climate...
I have clumps of Hedychium "Tara" (the "about" to bloomer) and Hedychium
coronarium "?"(no signs of blooming but great looking tropical foliage). They
grow in a southfacing, sheltered garden along with my alocasias - in FULL sun
(45 degrees north). The alocasias are fine until late November and have
even happily gone through a few light snowfalls, while I fear the Hedichiums would
very quickly collapse into mush. Once they look pathetic enough, I chop then off, rinse
the tubers and rhizomes clean, make sure they are completely air dried and then
store them in my basement cold room. I pot them up in late winter to wake them up and start
them rooting. Then I plant them directly in the garden asap.
I would love to get my hands on some more varieties/types/species but they are
hard to come by here and the key is finding ones that do not require a huge number
of GDD's. That's why I started with "Tara" as it is listed as doing well in the UK and our
summers are "blistering" compared to their's. Do you think Costus Barbatus would do well
in our shorter summers? Does it require a massive number of GDD's? Or what about
everyone's favourite Hedychium x 'Daniel Weeks' ? My other problem is ones that flower
on second year growth...that would be a huge problem...

John

Hi John,
The woman in Victoria actually has holes in the ground for her pots of gingers. Have you ever tried keeping anything that is evergreen up year round or just in the pot? As long as you don't water any dormant gingers they can stay in the pots over winter, that way you would be able to grow all kinds of goodies, especially since you appreciate the foliage as well as the inflorescence and the blooms. Too many people just want the big showy blooms and never take the time to notice the beautiful foliage. Daniel Weeks does bloom before Tara so I would give that one a try and several Costus do very well in pots and can stay 'up' in pots in the winter.
As far as blistering summers go, have you ever spent one in central Florida..lol
Barbatus blooms on older stems, about 8 month old, but it does great as a potted plant and would bloom for you that way. I keep several that way even here, just to insure that early inflorescence. It can't handle full sun here, does best in morning sun with filtered afternoon light or just bright filtered light all day.
for foliage Curcuma Scarlet Fever is another great one, lasts longer into winter than any Curcuma I grow, I've gone out around the beginning of January to cover other things with freeze cloth and looked down and seen Scarlet Fever still up, never seen any later than end of January though, like oall Curcumas it likes a little rest before spring, especially since it's a spring bloomer.
Don't forget the pictures of your blooms.
Liz

HI Liz,
She must have bought some tender gingers to need to bring them in for winter in Victoria. I have
kept alocasia over winter in their pots but they are so HUGE that it was a bit of a chore. Also, they
seemed to be constantly under attack by whitefly. A little periodic spritz of rubbing alcohol from a misting bottle kept it under control though - more or less. Oddly, the overwintered alocasia were not as big this year as the ones that spend the winter dormant in my cold room - maybe they need a winter rest period? If I wanted to over winter some ginger in pots, how much light would they need if dormant? Would they remain green? What kind of temps - ie would they do well in a cool basement? But they they would receive little light down there... Or would they need one of
the coveted spots in a south or west window to survive the winter - even if dormant. Sorry for all of the questions but I'm all alone in my passion in Nova Scotia...lol
No, I have not been so brave as to venture to Floirda in mid-summer. My poor Scandinavian blood would probably evapourate... Although, as a child we lived in Maracaibo for 2 years but then as kids we don't tend mind that sort of thing. Scarlet Fever is beautiful! That is certainly on the wish list, as well as "Daniel Weeks" for its early blooming potential. I assume since you shipped to BC you would ship to NS? A bit late in the season now, except to over winter indoors and that all depends on your advise on dormancy lighting and temperatures ;-)
John
Believe me if the flower stock opens, I will have pictures galour.

Hi John,
Actually she ordered several hedychiums and zingibers and since I no NOTHING at all about her zone and winter conditions I wasn't able to tell her she could actually be growing more than she realizes. I will let her know thank you.
I was going to have a phytosanitary test done here and she was going to pay for the service ($50.00 plus mileage - for the inspector) but, she is camping this week in Washington state and there is a little out post there that can do the phyto so, I shipped the plants to Washington. when she gets back I'll find out how it all went.
As far as keeping any gingers in pots in the winter that have a natural dormancy period, they need no light at al, just temps above freezing. If they go dormant there is no foliage at all. In the spring when it's time for them to reemerge put them in a nice warm/sunny area to incourage them. when you're sure the spot is consistantly warm enough give one good drenching of water and allow to dry out before you water again with a lighter watering. With the nursery that basically what we do, when the nights have warmed up and the days have lengthened we occasionally water anything that is dormant (if it is time for them to sprout).
How rapidly are your rhizomes multiplying, with you digging them up every year? Your hedychium is evergreen if it doesn't freeze back, if you could find a nice sunny place to keep it 'up' all winter you could get more growth from your rhizomes. If the pseudostems are kind of lanky in the spring you can cut them off and new ones will sprout that will bloom for you.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for you, I'm waiting to see those pictures.
I can ship to Canada, the plants just have to be inspected and receive their little certificate. :)
If you'd like to see some of my photos just email me at leneobrien@aol.com and I will send you my AOL photo album.
Really the summers aren't too bad here, I think people imagine it's worse than it really is, but I am biased, being an actual native and all..lol
To this day my favorite place is the ocean, going to the beach and placing my feet in the ocean and smelling the salt in the air and listening to the waves lapping at the shoreline restores my soul.
Liz

Butting in here...my favorite place is the landscaping around my house....75 gingers and 15 bananas plus lots of other tropical plants, all done by Liz and Richard and spectacular!!! Karen

Okay guys, The Open House is still on! Ernesto is outta here :)
See you all this weekend. Don't forget your cameras. Oh, a sense of humor is also a must ;)
Liz

Although not as full and luxurious as those southern specimens, my gingers are blooming in our late
summer warmth. Considering they spent the first half of summer potted on the back steps of my old
house in Halifax... crappy weather capital of Nova Scotia, they have filled out nicely. Hopefully my
new garden with its inland "heat" will have them performing better next year. Now just to get them through
the winter...