I bought these last year at lowes, so I'm sure they're a common variety. Each one has a different bloom, but the leaves look the same to me. Are they K. Roscoeana?
This one has dark lavender blooms with a white spot in the center. The leaves are pretty large.
This one is just like the other one, even blooming at the same time, but the blooms are lavendar and white splashed.
I don't know the answer to your question...but I have two new ones that look like those..peacock ginger?...and I was wondering where I can plant them and expect them to live outside...are they sun or shade only? I just love the leaves and was told they are deer resistant, I don't have hostas because the deer eat them to the ground, so I was wanting to use these instead...thanks...for any info you have on them.
JanetS
Janet, did you get Peacock Gingers, or did you get Calatheas? I thought I'd found another peacock ginger at home depot the other day, but it was a calathea. I'm not sure how to grow those so I didn't get it. But it was beautiful and very similar to my peacocks.
No, it is a peacock ginger I am sure. I bought them at a local nursery. They have the lavendar blooms and the foilage is just lovely! Both are nice size too, so I wanted to divide them and put them around a border if they would work in partial sun without burning...just wasn't sure. Haven't done my research yet..LOL The calatheas are really pretty too, I have a couple in the house..didn't know until a couple of weeks ago what they were called either!
LOL, I was looking back at the plant trading forum to find the thread on some peacock gingers someone had...it was you! So I guess that doesn't help you much does it...LOL
Hey Janet, depending on the variety, they may not be hardy in your zone. For me in 7a, they're tropicals that I bring in for the wenter. They do prefer mostly shade. I set the pots in a bed under a big cedar tree and they love it there. They probably like more water than they get here. I never water. So they must rely on Mother Nature, who isn't too reliable sometimes. LOL
I've seen several kinds of calatheas and bought a few and killed them. But I'm seriously thinking of going back to get this one I saw the other day. It looked very much like my peacocks, not like the other calatheas I've seen. I wonder if they misnamed it. I may have to go sniff around the roots and see. Or maybe I'll just give Calatheas another try if it is one.
The pictures are Kaempferia pulchra 'Silver Spot' both are the same variety of Kaempferia. They prefer total shade, with filtered light but not direct light, it will fry the foliage, especially in the summer months.
Liz
Looking more at photos the second onr might be Kaempferia x 'Alva', when the 2 are young they are similar but they both appear to be the 'Silver Spot' but... I will post photo of Alva and maybe 'in person' it will be easier for you to identify.
Liz
The leaves on Alva get much larger than the leaves on Silver Spot
Well, both of these have huge leaves. I have another ginger that was labeled Silver Spot when I got it. It's a bit paler than these two and the leaves are much smaller. The leaves on these two varieties are big and wide, which is why I bought them. They just really stand out. These two look identical except for the bloom color. Someone else suggested K. Roscoeana, and they resemble that variety quite well. But I'm such a novice with these gingers. There seems to be a lot of varieties out there.
Tomorrow, I'll get a picture of my Silver Spot for comparison. Thanks for your help, Liz.
No problem ma'am. True roscoeana has a white bloom, although it could be a hybrid from it as it does cross pollinate and hybridize easily. Russell told it does it to the point that if it is anywhere near any other pulchra varities after awhile you won't even have any white roscoeana left.
Liz
