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Hedychium coccineum

Our white ornamental gingers, Hedychium coccineum, are blooming at last.  Here it is October!  Better late than never, as they say.  And the fragrance is so wonderful, right there with any jasmine and gardenia.  This ginger is hardy to the PNW, asking only for a bit of mulch to protect the surface running rhisome.   Place it close to a south facing wall if you have one and the collected heat will help in all respects.  Many love the foliage, which is arrow-like on stalks that can reach 4′.  The emerging stalks in May look like bamboo shoots.

There are many different ornamental gingers.  We have five or six and the colors include orange, pink,  and yellow.  Some have variegation in the leaves and some are bronze colored on the underside.  Be sure to explore these wonderful plants if you are not familiar with them. 

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Elephant Ears & Dormancy

The growing season is coming to an end.  With the temperatures chilling be sure to protect your Alocasias and Colocasias.  Most likely, you’ll want to bring them inside to a well-lit area that will stay above freezing.  And, you will cut back on watering to prevent rot.

If you have good south-facing light and heat above 50, you can skip dormancy and continue to grow and enjoy your Taro-esque plants.  But don’t freak-out if you don’t or can’t.  Just allow them to go dormant.  Cut back the failing leaves and stems, and, like I said, reduce the watering to a minimum and set them aside in a safe place/labeled so you don’t forget who they are.

Here at Raintree, most of our elephant ears are kept in the cooler greenhouse which heats at 40, and it is not enough to keep them growing.  Instead they go slowly into dormancy and disappear into their pots.  In December and January I like to divide them and replenish their soil in preparation for the new growing season.  And it isn’t until June and July before they are looking good and full.  Ok, later, we can talk more about division.   

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Macrozamia reidlei

This is the cycad Macrozamia reidlei.  Cycads are cool because they are the primitive palms.  They were around when Dinosaurs dominated the planet.  They are rare to see in the PNW.  The one most people are familiar with is the sago palm, Cycas revoluta, but there are many more, diverse and beautiful, as only a cycads can be.

Macrozamia reidlei is big and brawny, but doesn’t like freezing wet weather.  It goes inside for the winter.  It is found in western Australia, with winter lows at 40 degrees.

They need good drainage and have compact root systems that don’t mind confinement in a small pot.  To swallow them in a big pot with a heavy peat potting mix is certain to induce root rot.    Like all cycads they are slow growing and one flush of a rosette of new leaves a year is good for our region.  Good light with alittle afternoon shade (in August) makes them happy.     And don’t forget to feed it now and then. 

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Blooming Cattleya Orchid

Cattleyas are easier to grow indoors in the Pacific Northwest than many other species.  They bloom at irregular intervals that are hard to predict, but wonderful when it happens.  This is the one that opened today.  I’m cutting back on the watering. with the change in the seasons.  One good watering a week will do in our greenhouse.  I will fertilize every other watering, one quarter strength, with our liquid solution.  Good indirect light, remember. 

Also, if the rhizome is reaching over the edge of the pot, think about dividing or going to a bigger pot.  And drainage must be absolute, otherwise the roots will rot from being too damp, too long.  Often people tell me that they cannot get their orchid to re-bloom.

I believe it is a combination of light, humidity, feeding, and …temperature fluctuation.  If you can get the temperature to move up and down 15 or 20 degrees, it’ll help alot.