I planted a Hedychium "Moy Giant" from PDN back in the spring and wasn't really expecting it to bloom, but today - voila! A bud! This is bad news because I'm going to be away for a week. Will I miss it? How long do the flowers normally last? The bud is only about 2". Thanks!
Oh No! My ginger is blooming!
I don't have Moy Giant, but my H ellipticum would take at least a week from that stage to open, they open slowly from bottom to top. It should be Oh yes! Of course I couldn't be certain that yours won't be done and finished, but I very much doubt it!
It must be the time for flowering, I have 2 new stems made on mine and they are racing to make it before the seasons ends, they are both just bursitng out new flower heads. If the weather turns I will bring it inside to finish!
When I saw the bud, my first thought was, "Oh boy!"...then came the Uh oh - gonna miss it. Hoping you are right though as it's my first ginger and I'm very anxious! Thanks for the reply.
Individual flower stalks on my 'Moy Giant' bloomed for weeks. The plant itself has been blooming for months. So unless you are facing cold weather, you should still catch the show!
I bought a potted ginger early this summer and planted it in my garden. I don't know what kind it is and don't recall now if the seller told me it would have white or yellow flowers. At any rate, it's increased in size, is spreading, and looks very healthy. But no blooms yet. I know absolutely nothing about ginger...Is there still a chance I'll be getting some flowers this fall?
bivbiv,
My understanding is that several Hedychium types bloom as late as October, but most others bloom earlier in summer.-but I'm new to Gingers, so I'm sure there 's someone who knows alot more than I do that can confirm that. I bet if you post a photo someone could give you a better idea. Meanwhile, I just got back from my vacation and as hoped, I have not missed the show. It's still in the "bud" stage. Yay!
How nice you'll get to enjoy it!
I just bought another ginger today that will have purple blooms. I understand this new one will get very tall; and I was told the bigger it gets, the larger the blooms. I bought it at a yard sale of plants, and WOW! Did that woman ever have a green thumb...Actually, green HANDS. Beautiful, beautiful plants of all kinds. And gorgeous, prize-winning bromeliads.
I'm still checking that first ginger daily hoping to see buds. None yet.
bivbiv, your ginger may not be mature enough to bloom. My seed grown one started to throw up really thick stems late in summer, I thought they were thick before! It's 3 years old now from seed, and by the looks of it the new stems should flower, but I doubt if they will make it before the weather turns, It keeps it's stem so who knows, it might flower inside!
I bought a rhizome of Hedychium forrestii early this year, it has established and now has a tallish stem but it doesn't look thick enough to produce a flower. Hedychium ellipticum I got last year as a bare rhizome, it was late to grow but did manage to produce a flower head in October, it was partly open when the weather suddenly turned really chilly and it went soggy! It was in the greenhouse too!
So, Wallaby, do I understand you correctly: The stems have to be very thick before they'll bloom? If that's the case, then how thick is "thick?" What would the diameter be?
bivbiv,
I think it depend on the variety. I have checked the thicknesses of mine, H ellipticum has flowered on every stem it made, it had one stem last year, now has 4 this year and the last 2 to make are just in bud now, the second stem has opened. They are 3/4" thick.
the seed grown one has 1" thick new stems, they are thicker than the older ones which were quite thick, but obviously not thick enough! I don't know what it is until it flowers.
H forrestii, new this year, is only 1/2" thick, I don't think it will flower, but the stem is growing quite tall now. The rhizome will probably develop more next year, I don't think it was as mature as H ellipticum when I got it.
Interesting, Wallaby; thanks for the info. I just went out and checked mine. It looks to have at least 7 or 8 stalks--perhaps more hidden--and the tallest is the thickest, about one inch at the base and tapering up to about 3/4 inch. Some of the others are about 1/2 inch, while the shorter ones are smaller. The odd thing is that the biggest stalk isn't the oldest. The original plant isn't all that big, and its babies have outgrown it. Once it blooms, if it ever does (sigh), I'll post it for identification.
That's how my seed grown one has grown, the stem won't get fatter, but the newer ones are fatter once the rhizomes develop.
I needn't have worried. 3 weeks later and it's finally peeking out! (Sorry - it's very exciting to me.) For a ginger named "Moy Giant", it's not very giant, so this bloom is such a pleasant surprise!
Good one! Maybe it's bigger than the ordinary 'Moy'!
Oh, Debin, don't apologize for being excited! This is DG! If mine ever blooms, you'll be hearing from me, too. Btw, I recently acquired a blue one which is supposed to grow very tall. Now when that one blooms, you'll be hearing that I'm doing (mental) cartwheels!
And you'll post a photo when it blooms, right? ;)
I will most certainly post a photo, even if it has only one stunted bloom. :)