I'm hopping that someone can help me ID this plant. I believe it is a ginger, but than I have been known to be wrong.
Thank you!
Mimi
Is this a ginger plant??
i dont think so, but idk what it is sooo...... i may be wrong
Mimianvy, I think it is this one:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59470/
sv's Id seems correct to me, I have one of these and like it, just wish it were hardy here. I remembered that ctenanthe and stromanthe were somehow ginger-related and I found that they are all part of the Zingiberales order
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zingerberales
I've been looking at these in the local nurseries, though I haven't gotten one yet. Now that I've seen a picture of the flowers, it will be harder to resist buying!
I have one of those too. Tropp, aren't they supposed to have blooms? Mine don't. The leaves are so beautiful. When there's too much sun, the leaves fold up to protect themselves. Now I have them in the shade. Hardy here.
SV, just the foliage is worth owning one! Perhaps they'll bloom in your zone.
mine don't have blooms but it's a smaller plant I got at the end of the season. For me anyway in this part of the state it seems some gingers just won't have a long enough growing season here to bloom (this probably is also due to my soil being compact, growing conditions, etc. ). Sadly out of my hedychiums, I only ended up with one white butterfly bloom before the frost hit everything...maybe next year will be better. I'd love to hear how it comes back over winter there, cause then I'd probably try it outside here, since you can get it at Lowe's now..lol.
so, sv normally I don't promote mega-corporate, but Lowe's does sell these really cheap....teehee, worth the small investment just for the foliage. Mine probably already needs to be repotted, it seems to spread much faster than it grows taller for me, as it's still short.
Sold! Heavenscape, that's exactly the justification I needed, sometimes its better to have a second opinion, other than the voices in my head!
Maybe if I get one now and pop it in the ground, it will have the winter to develop a good root system and then bloom next year. Justification is so easy...
Trop, I agree with your philosophy on the big box stores, I'd much rather support the little guys! There are 4 local owned nurseries with 7-8 miles of me, as well as L's and the HD. Sometimes, though, there's a poor little plant you just have to rescue from the big guys.
Cathy
Lol!!! Planting fools we are!! HD and Lowe's used to have plant specialists.Now they rely on what's on the tags. And that you all know sometimes can be wrong info.
He he! Thank the Lord for your solitary white ginger Tropp!!
Tropp, I have very compact soil too. My local nursery advised me to add garden gypsum into the soil. So far it works.
~Jaye
Yes! I believe that is it. I just love this plant, it really gives my sitting area the needed color and I really think they are so pretty.
So, am I correct to think that it is in the ginger family? Mine have not bloomed yet...maybe next year if the frost doesn't get it. It is growing in a shaded under my oak trees, a little filtered sun, but not too much.
Thank you so much for the fun and interesting post!!!
Mimi thank you! Yes, like Tropp says, it's ginger-related.
Again, aren't the leaves just gorgeous? They never fail to make me appreciate God's handiwork!
~Jaye
Jaye Thanks, I apparently need to try gypsum cause I keep hearing...it's pricey so I've been reluctant, it doesn't seem like it would go far. I'm trying to be better about amending the soil when I'm planting, but I know when I'm planting in the summer I'm generally just trying to get something in the ground ad watered fast...lol. As time goes on it will improve.
I think Gypsum is more important than compost, if you have clay soil. This comming from a guy that gathers about 6,000 bags of leaves a year. My compost pile is 35 ft. in diameter and 9ft. tall. Clay is very nutritious and most plants will thrive in it but you need to add Gypsum to keep it from becoming as hard as concrete. Spend the money, you will be glad you did.
kenboy
www.vonrussellfarm.com
Tropp, like Ken says, it's worth the money. We had spent umpteen hours preparing the beds, amending the soil with what we thought would work. When all the precious plants died, we thought our gardening days were over.
Gypsum to the rescue now. It is certainly a proven clay buster.
~~Jaye
hmmmmm...now this might sound dumb, but how different is gypsum from say...sharp sand?
Not dumb at all Tropp. Guess sharp sand might work 'cos it's coarser than fine sand. Didn't think about it.
Is there an agronomist in the house?
The platelets of clay are flat and lay very close together. Gypsum breaks up the bond in the clay particles. Sand is completely different. Clay + sand = bricks. If you have hard clay and you want to grow something in it, don't play around, use Gypsum. I used Gypsum in my gardens in Fort Worth and when I moved to east Texas and met my wife ( Maggi ) she said we should use Gypsum on an area we were wanting to work up as a bed. I said it will need to be worked in. She insisted we only need to broadcast it on top of the ground. Six months later, the shovel went right in just like it was sand. Even I, ( who had used Gypsum before ) was amazed.
kenboy
www.vonrussellfarm.com
dadgummit, why does the good stuff always have to be expensive...and thanks for letting me know I've made bricks in my garden...lol.
Really thanks for the info, I guess I will have to try it then
Thanks so much Ken for clearing it up. Kel says he's not about to change anything that works. But, instead of broadcasting it, we scattered Gypsum in the planting hole, before adding potting soil. So far the plants' roots have not suffered.
Will try your method, since it will definitely prevent all the cussings I have to endure whenever he struggles with digging up the #%$*!!! ground!
~Jaye
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingerberales
Family: Marantaceae
Genus: Stromanthe
A close cousin to the ginger as you can see by comparing up through family they are the same. Stromanthe are also often called Calthea, another cousin :)
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Alpinia, Boesenbergia, Costus, Curcuma, Globba, Hedychium, Kaempferia, Siphonochilus, Zingiber, etc...
Liz :)
It is hard to believe (but i do believe you) that Stromanthes and Calathea could be in the same family. My stromanthes never blooms but doesn't mind the heat as long as she never gets direct sun.
On the other hand, I can't grow Calathea as hard as i try down in our part of the world. They prefer cool temps and grown as a houseplant during the cooler months but doesn't stand a chance of survival during the summer months.
Actually most Calathea's are a zone 10 plant, we grow a few outside in our 8b/9a zone. they definitely like the shade. Calatheas tigrinum and zebrina should grow well for you out in your garden, in your plant zone. I have both of these in 2 different ginger beds and have had them there for several years and both are doing great, even after freezing back.
Liz
Maybe I will attempt those two only because I had given up growing them entirely. Our 106 degree heat factor just kills them during the months of August and September, the hottest months of the year.
Make sure they are kept evenly moist during the growing seasons, especially during the warmer months.
SHADE, SHADE,SHADE is the other important factor when it comes to a Calathea :)
I love mine, I have a few I keep in a small greenhouse, because they are just so darn pretty...
Liz :)
mini, I love your photos those are so gorgeous. I saw one exactly like it somewhere and it was listed as stromanthe sangre. Then I was on another website and saw it also listed as stromanthe tricolor. I think the tricolor must be the right one because they had another one that was all green but the bottom of the leaves were reddish purple and that one was listed as sangre. I hope someone know for sure. I sure would like to order one and am looking for the proper name lol.
Also called Stromanthe Triostar!
That poor little plant must be suffering from an identity crisis!
Call it by any name, it's still a beauty! LOL SV!
Most definitely! It will be mine soon...
Thank you all for your help in this. My plant grows in the shade and seems to be very content where it's at. I do try to water it regularly. I think I will have to cover it during frost warnings but I think it will be worth it.
We couldn't garden without gypsum and lots of it in south Texas farm land.
Just reading the latest issue of Garden Gate, and in one of the articles it mentioned river sand as one of the recommended inorganic ingredients to amend clay soil!
Quote: " River sand is best for amending soil because the rounded particles can't pack together like sharp builders' sand. Choose a particle size around a millimeter or slightly larger so it won't immediately stick to the clay particles and form concrete."
The writer mentioned it's heavy to transport, but not a cost issue.
Hmm..Tropp, something to consider.
Yes, worth covering during a frost and shade is what your Stromanthe wants.
Liz@gingerlandtropicals.com
I've been highly entertained all afternoon reading your posts! (This is my first.) I'm grateful for the info on clay soil which is all I have since relocating to OK City 3 years ago---that after 30 years with good soil and a well established garden that I loved and still miss. I know you'll help me transition!
Welcome to DG SREOKC. There are so many wonderful people here willing to answer any questions you might have.
~Jaye
WELCOME!!!
You won't meet nicer people than those here at DG.
Liz :)
Thank you both so much! I'm so new I just today saw your responses. I'd looked on MidSouth, since that's the conversation I most often follow.
Well, SREOKC, check your D-Mail!
~Jaye