My ginger "Tara" is finally blooming ! This is it's first year of blooms and I am very impressed, every stem has a large bloom. It has a very faint fragrance (it's hard to compete with brugs !)but it has given me the confidence to try some other gingers.
Heather
Oh, that is lovely Heather. what a pretty colour. --Ginny
Ooh that's pretty. Ann
Hi Heatherbelle
That is gorgeous!! I live in Victoria Too and have a bunch of different gingers that I started this year. Nothing has bloomed for me but I guess that will be next year as they were all small rhizomes that I started with. Do you leave yours outdoors in the winter? Most of the hedychiums are supposed to be zone 7 so I am curious just what you did with this one last winter.
Bea
This is the first year that I have put this plant in the ground and I was planning to lift it and put in the greenhouse, but if you, Jeanne, leave it outside over the winter then I might just give it a try. Do you get a lot of blooms ? I had read that some of them bloom on old stems so it would not be a good idea to let them die to the ground. As you can tell I know diddly squat about gingers !
I live in the Gordon Head area - are you nearby, mommum ?
Heather
I have left mine out in the front garden by the front door for over 5 years or more. I have Hedychium Assam Orange and Hedychium Coronarium ( white). I've got some other similar looking plants but smaller, can't remember the name of the right now. They're gorgeous too and live outside. I find they multiply like crazy. I do nothing to them in the fall. They die back. The other plants I have in abundance is cautleya spicata. They're gorgeous too.
This message was edited Sep 29, 2006 8:13 AM
Heather
I do live nearby (Glandford/McKenzie) but then nothing is that far in Victoria. My research tells me that the Hedyichium gingers should do fine here as far as temperature goes. The hedyichiums loose their foilage from frost but the rhizomes are hardy enough for most of them. It is our wet rainy weather that can cause rot that is likely more of a concern. Like cannas the rhizomes don't like to be overly wet when not growing and dormant. I have heard of folks growing cannas here taking a sheet of plastic and placing it on the ground to deflect some of the water from the rains. Just anchor it down by placing a rock or two around the corner or sides.
Now having said that I have not done this yet. I have several in the ground and some in pots. I will put the pots in the greenhouse (unheated) or garage. The ones in the ground I hope there is enough growth to the rhizome so that I can divide it and put a chunk of it into a pot for the garage as well. In this way I won't loose any and those that I have left outside will be a test.
The ones that bloom on last years growth are the costus I think. The shell ginger is one of those. I have a very small one that will be coming indoors for the winter.
I noticed that you have your zone listed as 8b. I have mine listed as 7b should I change mine? One nursery told me 7a and another in Vancouver told me we must be higher and then the web sites I have found suggested 7a-b. I am confused about this obviously. I am considering mulching with a bale of straw spread out over the beds as I don't have a supply of leaves to do the job. I have read that will also raise our growing zone as much as 1/2 to 1 full zone. I know we are spoiled and can grow so much more than the rest of Canada but I am greedy:) I want to grow all sorts of tropicals.
Bea
Thanks for the great info, Bea ! I know what you mean about the zone thing. MG99 and ggd also live in the south island area and they are registered as 8b. The thought of lifting all my plants is preying on my mind - I think I might try some of your ideas.
Let me know if you would like to pop by my garden and have a look.
Heather
Hi Heather you have D-mail.
Bea
Goregous blooms, Heather!
:) Donna
Your ginger is lovely Heather. I'd like to get one to try.
Sandy
Heather I just looked back at your beautiful ginger and did a double take on that Brugmansia that is hiding behind. It is gorgeous too! What kind is it? What do you do with that one in the winter? Looks to big to bring in the house:)
Bea
Hi Bea, I have a few very large brugs (courtesy of Liz in Vancouver, brugcrazy, MG99 and nightowl2) The ones in pots I can manage to get into the greenhouse but this year I have planted some in the ground and they have grown HUGE ! They will have to be pruned and dug up to put in the garage and then I will let them go dormant. I always like to keep a few growing over the winter in order to get blooms earlier the next year.
Heather
