Hedychium ellipticum is flowering!

This is an easy ginger. The stem drops off over winter, I brought it inside last winter and put it back in the greenhouse in late spring, it had already started to make new shoots. It now has 4 stems.

Last year was the first year from a bare rhizome, it was a cold spring (not as long cold as this one!) and summer, and it was late to start growing, I think late June at the earliest. It did make one stem and had a flower which started to open, half open and it turned chilly and damp and the flower went soggy. I was waiting for it to fully open to get a proper pic of the flower!

Now established it made an earlier start, and with a hot summer it's already flowering. I love the deep red colour running from the stem nodes. It's supposed to have a spicy fragrance, these have only just opened tonight and I can't as yet smell anything. Perhaps when the sun warms them in the day I will.

These little flowers will open all the way up,

i love that!

Dig the stem! This was last year's stem.

Very nice, Wallaby. Unfortunately it is not so easy for those of us in the SE United States to grow as it prefers cooler summers. This species and a few others like H. densiflorum, H. gracile, and H. spicatum are from the higher altitudes of the Himalayas and are difficult to grow here. Should do fine in the Pacific NW.

I tried it once and it lasted a couple of years but never flowered well and eventually dwindled away much like Roscoeas do. I have read in the Hardy Gingers book that there are some forms of H. elipticum from the lower altitudes that might do better here, but have never found a source. If anyone here in the SE US has grown this species for several years with success, please let me know as I would be interested in learning more about it.

Dave Skinner
www.gingersrus.com

Hi Dave, I think the Pacific NW may be a similar climate to here, but they may get more rain.

I have had this in the greenhouse with door and window open, it gets morning sun and shade in the afternoon. We have had a very hot summer, often in high 20's C and even over 30C. It hasn't worried it at all, but Florida is perhaps much hotter, night temps also.

I could smell it today, it does have a spicy scent, the more you sniff it the better it gets, dare I say it has an almost ginger scent?

I grow Roscoea auriculata, the clump is congested now (needs dividing) but has set seed around and I grew some from seed from it, they are mature and in their 6th year in pots waiting for a place in the ground.

I started a H forrestii this year also, it's not huge yet but is supposed to be hardy.

I found a site with H ellipticum listed, Montosa Gardens

http://www.montosogardens.com/zingiberales_collection.htm

in Peurto Rico in the mountains it will be cooler, what an ideal climate that must be!

Other than that I have my seed grown one which I don't have a clue about as it was a mix and I only got one, it's gone mad and is throwing up lots of really thick stems, the pot is 38cm diameter. It started to grow early January inside, it keeps it's stems over winter and I think next year should produce flowers. It really needs dividing, when it starts to grow again next year it will have nowhere to go!

Within 2 days the flower had many more florets open, but now the bottom ones are drooping. They don't look too bad, there is still more to open at the top.

The weather has been 'hot' for this time of year, up to over 26C(80F) today. I don't close the greenhouse up altogether at night, nights are sometimes quite cold, we had 7C one night. In the morning it gets sun, and the scent is really interesting and strong in the warmth. In the afternoon it is mostly shaded.

A second stem is just showing a flower bud, I don't know if it will make it before the cold sets in.

This was taken on the 6th.

It is so delicate looking! Absolutely beautiful!!!

Hi Smockette, it is beautiful, the first head has just finished and the second looks like it will manage to flower soon. There are two other new stems later grown that are racing away, it likes the slightly cooler weather now but we are still having good weather, 17-19C, it must suit it.

What a pretty! Love that Sept. 11 pic. Lovely airy delicate and impressive.

Wish you could attach a sniff as well.......

Robert.

Dare I say this one is hard to beat? Oooohhh the scent is quite intoxicating, one that you just have to keep drinking in!

I think the new stems are about to burst into bud, they might not make it but I will bring it inside, it's going to be crowded!