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