Late start for the Hedychium

[AndyC]

Usually by this time of summer at least some of the permanently planted Hedychium are in flower but not this year.
There are flower spikes forming on Hedychium urophyllum, densiflorum 'Sorung' and 'Assam Orange' and on H. spicatum but nothing so far on H. yunnanense, H. densiflorum 'Stephen' or H. coccinium 'Tara'.
Cold spring has held them back I guess. How are yours doing?

[charlie]

Same here Andy, although the pot fulls look further ahead because I didn't risk them outside until later than normal, I actually have a flower open on gardenerianum normally that flowers a month later than this!

[Grub]

Hmmm... That's me flummoxed then :lol: , there's only one of mine looking like it's about to flower and I thought it was Stephen. nothing on densiflorum, Spicatum, 'Tara' or 'Sorung' yet but all are larger this year than any of the last 4.

[JohnJearrard]

Doing ok here, though much shorter than usual. Flowers on H.yunnanense, H.spicatum, H.densiflorum 'Assam Orange', 'Stephen', 'Sorung' and 'Embossed Leaf'. Buds also forming in the greenhouse but it isn't going to be a bumper year.

[charlie]

The species showing the most promise here is wardii

[David Matzdorf]

I've kept Hedychium densiflorum 'Stephen' in a pot for several years because it was dying from drought where I had it planted - the pot lives outdoors all year. Three shoots flowered this year and the last is just at its peak today.

H. densiflorum, which is in the ground and gets Spring sun, but then gets shaded out at from about June on, has numerous inflorescences, but none has opened yet. It and 'Stephen' are less sensitive to Winter and Spring temperatures than the others - it flowers better in wetter years.

The large patch of several Cautleya spicata plants is finished, although there are usually a few late flowering shoots a few weeks after the main flush.

The three large pots of H. gardnerianum flowered last year because I took them indoors during Winter 2011/12, but I didn't do that last Winter and they aren't going to flower this year, as the new shoots are still only 400-600mm tall.

Various bits of H. 'Devon Cream' live in the ground and in pots. They all live outdoors and none of them will flower this year. They never do, or rather I've had one inflorescence in eight years of growing multiple plants of this cv.

The faded and weak remnants of H. coccineum 'Tara' also never flower and struggle most years to reach 500mm tall. I always suspected that I had a crap plant of this supposedly easy cv., which I have grown for at least 13 years with minimal and declining success, so I obtained some chunky rhizomes from EPS member Ray in Cornwall this Spring and potted them up - sure enough, they have produced thick, vigorous shoots, one of which has an inflorescence.

[AndyC]

Later than last year but worth waiting for is H. densiflorum 'Sorung'

IMG_1449 by atropica1, on Flickr
Still no sign of any flowers coming on it cousin 'Stephen'

[David Matzdorf]

The faded and weak remnants of H. coccineum 'Tara' also never flower and struggle most years to reach 500mm tall. I always suspected that I had a crap plant of this supposedly easy cv., which I have grown for at least 13 years with minimal and declining success, so I obtained some chunky rhizomes from EPS member Ray in Cornwall this Spring and potted them up - sure enough, they have produced thick, vigorous shoots, one of which has an inflorescence.

And here it is, nearly-fully-open four days ago:

[AndyC]

A few more Hedychium that have left it late this year.
Hedychium griffithianum only flowers for me if kept inside

Hedychium griffithianum by atropica1, on Flickr

Rather soggy H. greenii and H. corelli

Hedychium greenii by atropica1, on Flickr

Hedychium corelli by atropica1, on Flickr

[David Matzdorf]

Hedychium densiflorum 'Stephen' has produced some of its rather gaudy seeds. They need to be sown fresh, but on the other hand I want to enjoy the seed pods' display.