I bought this pretty variegated ginger last week at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, they only tagged it "ginger" and I don't know which one it is. I was thinking that I really need to know... so many are only marginally hardy in my zone. Hoping someone can help me out.
Alpinia zerumbet, I believe. Both of mine just finished blooming. I have one group in a huge pot that I cover in winter. I planted another group in the ground that did fine, and bloomed. But we had a mild winter. Not sure how it would fair in a good freeze.
Hey Bubbles!
It looks like my variegated ginger!
Sure looks like variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) to me too. It will freeze to the ground during a prolonged hard freeze if unprotected. However, it will come back in the spring. Mine is planted in the ground had very little freeze damage this year even though I did not cover it. It bloomed for the first time. From what I have read, the blooms are formed on the leaves from the previous year. So, in the years that it freezes all the way down, it will not bloom.
Sounds like maybe I need to pot it and keep it protected in the winter, if I want it to bloom. We can usually count on 2-3 hard freezes and at least one good ice storm a year.
I just learned today that the cardamom ginger I got from Ceejay at the RU is not hardy here either. So I guess my little ginger grove will have to be in pots. Thanks to all of you for the ID.
Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. Some people grow the cardomom ginger inside in a pot; I guess that's why...
I have the variegated ginger also (outside in the ground) and it blooms only if it doesn't freeze. But it will come back from a freeze - here, anyway. I used to have it in a pot, and pulled it into the garage whenever a freeze threatened. (The garage doesn't freeze here.) And it bloomed then. But I got tired of those shenanigans. I grow it for the variegated leaves, not the blooms.
If they will come back from the roots, I may put them in the ground next year. I did buy the variegated one for its foliage. But I'd like to see them bloom once before I do that.
BTW, Ceejay, your little Philippine lily (which is also not hardy here) bloomed for me earlier, around the end of June. Since then it's put out an offset, and now the offset has a big bud on it. I wasn't expecting a second bloom. What a nice surprise. :)
Save those seeds. You'll be able to keep it going that way...and you'll have lots of them, too.
Boy, I wish I knew if the ginger came back from its roots in your zone, but I just don't.
Well, it's not a big deal. I just looked up all of my brugs and discovered that most are at least root-hardy here. So, when it cools off next month, most of those are going in the ground. That will free up some large pots, as well as over-winter space.
Maybe by November I can divide the two questionable gingers, and pot one of each for overwintering. Then I can leave the main plants in the ground and see what happens.
I did know already that the Philippine lily wasn't hardy, so it was potted from the beginning. Didn't think about the seeds, though. I'll be watching.
pbtxlady, I have several other types of ginger growing in large containers and they do very well. I think I am going to wrap just one or 2 leaf stalks on my variegated ginger that is in the ground in the winter. That way, I will have at least 2 bloom stalks in the summer. The plant is too large to protect the whole plant.
CJ, the cardamom ginger you gave me at the RU 2 years ago came back. I have some in the ground and some in a pot. The one in the ground is not nearly as tall as the one in the pot, but that's because I keep forgetting to water the one in the ground. I didn't mulch it or water over winter either. I was very surprised that it came back last spring.
Is Phillipine lily the same thing as Formosa lily? I have something called Formosa lily that is amazingly hardy. Gets only ocassion water from me and always comes back and blooms in late summer.
Mary Lee, my cardamom is in the ground right now and it's on my drip system, so it's getting plenty of water. It hasn't grown very tall yet either. Which I guess now I'm glad about--easier to dig it up in the fall for potting.
When Cocoa and mamajack saw my Philippine lily, they thought it might be the same plant as the Formosa. They do look a lot alike, but according to the PF, they're not the same. The Formosa is apparently hardier. If for some reason I lose the Philippine, that one would be a good sub.
Hmmm. Well maybe it's not because I didn't water it then. Now I don't feel so bad for neglecting it.:) The one in the ground is only about 6 " all and the one in the pot is about twice that tall. I tried watering it in the gh last spring before I brought it out to see if that would bring it out of dormancy, but it didn't seem to matter. Maybe bringing it inside where it's warmer in early spring would wake it up earlier.
I think I'm going to try just mulching my philiphine lily really well and see what happens. I have it in too much shade so I have to move it when the weather cools off some.
I noticed over these last two summers that the more you water that ginger, the faster it grows. And, since, it seems to be pretty drought tolerant, I cut the watering wAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back, and slowed the growth. It's doing very well... just a thought.
When do they typically bloom? I've had some in ground since last year and although they've grown a lot this year they haven't bloomed.
This was taken June 4th....just beginning to open....
Wow, beautiful ginger! Mine hardly ever blooms. I would feel so honored if it did that.lol I hope to move it this fall. I think it gets too hot where it is. It is a butterfly ginger that gets am sun, pm shade, but it's next to the house which is painted blue and the siding is Hardy Plank which is made of cement. So I think it just soaks up too much hot Tx sun.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with the non blooming ginger. lol Mine is mostly shade to filtered sun. But it's green and still pretty so still a welcome addition to the garden.
Anne
Are we still talking cardamom ginger? Mine has never bloomed and I have had it for 10 years. I just enjoy the shape and the fragrance of the leaves when I brush against them.
Are the Philippine lily and Formosa lily the same plant or different? It seems to depend on the source. When in doubt I go to Texas Extension or TAMU. This is what they say:
Few true lilies call Texas gardens home. Among the few and the proud are the Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), the tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium/L. triginum), the Philippine or Formosan lily (Lilium formosanum), and the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum).
The relatively obscure Philippine lily is perhaps the most adapted of all. It is native to Taiwan and the Philippines. It is a very tall growing lily (3-5 feet) that produces it's cluster of drooping, fragrant, white trumpets during the late summer. Its narrow, grasslike foliage and late bloom time distinguish it from all other lilies. This lily begins growth in the early spring and goes dormant during late fall and winter. It is adapted to all areas of the state. The Philippine lily can be propagated by division or very easily by the many seeds that it produces. It commonly seeds out and naturalizes anywhere from the flowerbeds to the neighboring woods. It is the only lily that can be grown from seed to bloom in as little as one year.
They use the names interchangeably. They are one and the same, according to A&M.
Plant Answers and Southern Bulbs agrees with TAMU. Southern Living says Philippine Lily is a variety of Formosa lily. Dave's says they are different.
Well, no matter, it looks like it should grow anywhere in Texas.... BTW, they'll also bloom in the shade. I grow cardamom ginger in shade and in full sun. It doesn't seem to care. It doesn't seem to need a lot of water either.
Anyway, that's been my experience. :-)
Hmmm. Well, I am certainly no lily expert. I just know when I like a flower and I like the Philiphine lily from CJ and what was labeled as Formosa lily that I've had for years. Can't even remember where I got them. The Formosa lilies always bloom, but they have not increased. They get direct am sun and light pm shade and fairly regular water. I was surprised that they have not.
I think maybe I'll try my cardamom ginger in more sun next year, or maybe this fall when the weather cools off some.
I just discovered in the last couple of days that my cardamom is getting very little light. Didn't realize the butterfly ginger was blocking it so much. I think I'll also move mine into part-sun and see if it gets taller.
Ceejay, according to TAMU, the Philippine lily sounds to me like it actually is hardy here--is that how you read it? I think I will move the pot to a protected location near the house and see if it makes it through the winter. After I save some seeds, of course. We don't actually get down to 20 degrees here very often, after all. If we do, it won't be the only thing I'll have to protect.
That's the way I read it too. Remember, there's not as much protection from the cold in a pot. Roots (and bulbs) will freeze more easily.
I think that I'd take half of the P. lily seeds and scatter them after they ripen. Then scatter the other half after spring warm-up. Just for insurance. You all live in a slightly colder area than I do.
USDA map shows them growing in Florida and Kentucky. But not in Texas! Strange...
Silver - Are your two lilies different?
I don't know if they are different or not. It didn't occur to me to take a picture of the ones I have had a long time. Or the ones you gave me either for that matter. I hope I remember to get pictures next year.
