Happy Spring, Happy Gardeners!
One wants to soak up every minute of this splendid weather in Southwest Florida. There are a lot of signs of new garden life as well as reblooming of some winter season plants such as Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus).
Ginger Lilies are beginning to bloom. Gingers are herbaceous perennials in the Zingiberaceae family. My favorite is Alpinia. (Shell Ginger) Shell Gingers grow to about ten feet tall very rapidly. They are tall stalks with long bladed 4-5" wide waxey leaves. They make a nice background for shorter plantings or work well in clusters in a stand by themselves. Their blooms resemble a bunch of grapes with tubular blossoms that open progressively from the end of the stalk. The blossoms are a waxey white with hints of pink on the outside to bright yellow with deep red veins on the inside. This combination isunique and very striking. The leaves make a good filler and the blossoms are long-lasting for floral arrangements. They have a light pleasing fragrance.
Each stalk of the Shell Ginger blooms once. It can be cut to the ground after blooming and drying out. The rhizomes begin to sprout new shoots. When the sprouts are about two feet tall or less they can be propagated by sawing into the underground rhizome. They can be planted into the ground with good quality potting soil and a handful of "cow" and a bit of slow release fertilizer granules. Water well until established.
Shell Ginger Lilies
Our plants grow all year. We have several areas with Shell gingers in our garden. The main area is a stand solely of the gingers. It is in shade. I give it slow release granular fertilizer in the early spring. It is hand-watered. Most gardening books will say they require full sun, lots of water and fertile soil. This is contrary to the conditions of this area of our garden. Try whatever works for you. As mentioned earlier, most plants like morning sun, but afternoon sun in this area will be too harsh for most plants.
The remaining areas are planted amongst other tropical plants. They are in partial shade with some morning sun. They bloom later than the totally shaded stand of gingers. They will all continue to bloom from early spring throughout the summer. Enjoy!
If you have plants in large containers with some questionable browning around the edges of the leaves it might not be caused by too much water, too little water or insects. Remove the plant from the container and you might find it is root-bound. I recently had this happen with three very large, healthy Peace Lilies. If it would have been later, I would have thought the Lubber Grasshoppers were after them. Membershave reported sighting them already. I found these plants to be extremely rootbound. I divided them into several pots for a fresh start after trimming the roots and using fresh potting soil. You can then share your new plants with neighbors or your friends at Shell Islands Garden Club.
Happy Planting and enjoy all the cuttings from your gardens!
Patti in Paradise