Hi Ken: I've not had any luck flowering Hedychium in containers. Last time I saw them flower well was in Galveston where they were very late fall bloomers. Boyce -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Kenneth Hixson Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2005 2:05 PM To: Pacific Bulb Society Subject: [pbs] Hedychium. Hi, All: >Erm... that should read, "cold sensitive". Each winter it is >damaged earlier than the other species, H. coronarium and H. greenii. Brook's mention of Hedychium reminds me of one of my gardening failures. A certain mailorder seed house in South Carolina sold Hedychium gairdnerianum for several years with glowing praise for the fragrance of the flowers, and the claim that it was hardy to Zone 7. Well, it has survived for several (7?) years, so I suppose it it hardy, though we haven't had a hard winter for several years. As to the fragrance, that is a little harder to determine, as it has never flowered. It freezes down in the fall, starts growth relatively late in the spring, then grows quickly to about three feet tall, and stops. Eventually it starts new shoots from the base, which may get to full height before freezing, or may not. Right now, in mid August, it has about 6-8 sprouts coming from the base, perhaps 6" long/tall. It seems unlikely it will flower this year either. For the last 3-4 years it has been in a large (5 gallon) pot, so it can get an earlier start in the spring and not freeze down so early in the fall, but that hasn't helped. It also has a pan under the pot, so it isn't stressed for water Unless someone has some helpful suggestions, this probably will be the last year for this plant here. I doubt that I will try different Hedychiums in the future, given the lack of success with this one. Ken Z7 Oregon _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php