I don't think Arkansas is a good place to grow the hedychiums. Seems they rarely bloom and always fall over from heat or lack of water, though I do give them water quite often. It's really aggrivating.
What I want to know is, Can I grow these hardy gingers in a large pot, and will they bloom better.
I do have some red pinecone ginger in a 5 gallon pot, which I have to divide every year. it's only bloomed once. So I was concerned about the other gingers blooming in pots. The ones I do have in pots do not fall over even from lack of water. So seems they stand up better in pots. Do I need to protect the hardy gingers from frost this winter if their in pots? should I bring them into the garage, I normally just put a light layer of mulch over them when I cut them back to the ground. I'm seriously considering just growing them in large pots.
what do you think?
kathy
hardy gingers falling over
I have one that is listed in here under "NOT SURE" and initially it didnt do very well. I have it in a pot and the stalks were always breaking and turning brown. This year I moved it to a shady place and it is doing wonderful. It actually bloomed this year and that made me sooooo happy. Dont get discouraged just keep loving your plant ......
Don't get discouraged? These plants are over 4 years old, I better do something or i'm clearing some of them out. i'm getting frustrated.
The ones I have in pots are doing well, and don't fall over or turn brown, the ones in the ground, never bloom, (neither do the ones in the pots) but the ones inthe ground ALWAYS fall over.
If you get frustrated to the point of dumping them, remember me........ :)
LOL, I won't dump them for sure. I think i'm goin gto go find some large pots today if I can, maybe theyll be on clearance.
Now Kathy_Ann don't go throwing stuff at me when I say, my Gingers always bloom BUT they are in pots and in the winter we move them into the covered dog run. It is my understanding that most gingers bloom on old growth so if they freeze down they aren't going to bloom the following season. They are also in pots with my Brugs and are crowded, crowded, crowded ... I didn't know what the heck they were when I got them 2-3 years ago so just put them in the pots with the brugs being desperate to plant them somewhere, anywhere. lol lol
Judy
I had no idea that they wouldn't bloom if they freeze back to the ground.
How do you keep the growth from dying back if they are only under a covered dog pen, you don't have heat do you? Mine die back on their own even in the greenhouse for the most part anyways, they look so ratty and shabby that I normally cut the rest down. Gosh , if that's true, it's no wonder I don't get blooms, and never do, cause they all die back to the ground.
I'm gonna have to do a few things different ly this winter for sure. Going to put them into pots for sure now, and not cut them back at all when I stick them into the greenhouse this fall.
thanks for the help.
Learn something new everyday.
I got alot of digging to do this fall.
I have about l5 brugs in the ground, about 25 to 30 aroids that have to be dug up and now about 20 different gingers, yikes, that's gonna cost some money in pots.
kathy, I have determined to never add up the monetary cost....and I don't even have a GH. Sometimes I believe I could buy a full bouquet from the florist everyday and the money would be even. However, the pleasure and stress relief can't be priced. I, too, am learning that whether I want to or not.......gonna have to pot-up....and then what. Brought a beautiful Meyer lime in last winter and the aphids attacked and it was downhill from then on. No matter how I babied it.....it died anyway. Guess I had better start trying to find a GH I can afford.
Have an absolutely fantastic day.
LouC
Someone told me that hardy gingers bloom in the fall, and thiers blooms every year but die back to the ground in the winter, and it was the tropical gingers that bloom on old growth. No matter what's what, I am going to dig up my gingers and keep them in pots from now on, and hopefully Not chop them down in the greenhouse to make more room, Which is what I have been doing. storing them under the tables for the winters to make room for the things I can't or won't cut back. I have cleared out alot this year and perhaps i'll have room to just store them in pots without cutting them back.
I do have a question Judy? or any body else that can answer, How cold does it get in your covered dog run? I'm thinking of storing the ginger pots in the new shop we're building, I don't know how cold it will get in there though , since it will be it's first winter. It is insulated though. and No light what so ever. Think they'll do fine there? I can also store them in my garage that has windows down one side. and it doesn't get below freezing in there, but does get down to say 35 or 38 sometimes.
does the foliage die back under a certain temperature for gingers like it does for aroids?