If you read the flowering times in the literature it is often unclear if they refer to specimens in greenhouses or in the open ground. The American nurseries who sell them often come from similar climate zones to the UK but report absurdly early flowering periods for plants I know. I have started to wonder if one of the limiting factors is dry springs rather that cold weather in holding back flowering and am investigating that this year. The flowering times here are for my North Devon garden which now seems to have a pretty normal UK temperature range. I hope this gives readers somewhere to start when buying plants. Our collection is not a stamp collection of hedychiums. Each has to earn its place or go on the scrap heap (see comments on Elizbeth and Goldflame). I'd be really interested to hear what succeeds in your garden as I try to make this page as accurate as possible

Species Types:

coronarium 'Gold Spot'

 This recent acquisition is staying inside and will be treated as Pink Hybrid. It's supposed to have a particularly good scent. We'll see. A bud is starting to emerge (in greenhouse) 20th August.

 densiflorum

Ours is in all probability Assam Orange though we do have a second form which we acquired from Knightshayes Court which is more slender. It is totally hardy and flowers in August, even if grown in deep shade. On the downside it has little scent and is a bit fleeting in flower. I will produce fruit and seed. It has the look of an exotic red hot poker in flower and is highly recommended as a hardy reliably ginger or growing outside.

densiflorum 'Stephen'

 This is a wonderful plant for the garden flowering reliably from early August through to the end of the month. Its flowers are big and scented unlike the not that impressive normal species type. The flowers are somewhat creamy peachy coloured and make a good partner for densiflorum Sorung. It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside. It definitely comes in my current top 5. Flowering started about 20th July for about 4 weeks.

densiflorum 'Sorung

This is a wonderful plant for the garden flowering reliably from early August through to the end of the month. Its flowers are big and scented unlike the not that impressive normal species type. The flowers are pinky orange coloured and make a good partner for densiflorum Stephen. It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside. It definitely comes in my current top 5. Starts about a week after Stephen and ends a week later. Grow them together and they will look fantastic. Both are said to clump up slowly. For me they have expanded quickly.

 densiflorum 'Kalimpong Gold'

 This is a new one from Andrew Gaunt's collection. It was most impressive in flower in his greenhouse but I expect it to be fine outside too. Surprisingly it has not yet (mid May) shown any signs of growth. I'll update when something happens.

densiflorum white form

This is a new one from Andrew Gaunt's collection. It was most impressive in flower in his greenhouse but I expect it to be fine outside too. Surprisingly it has not yet (mid May) shown any signs of growth. I'll up'ate when something happens.

ellipticum

I'm not entirely convinced about my plant. I bought one labelled 'Dixter' from Mulu who were insisting that Dixter and Devon Cream were different plants (they are not, David Constantine gave Dixter that name as a proper name a few years ago) which turned out to be identical to a plant I had been growing as ellipticum (incidentally one of the parents of Corellii) for a couple of years. Checking on the internet I was relieved to see a picture labelled ellipticum which was very similar to mine. In fact it turned out to be too similar as it was my photo from this website that someone else had used to illustrate what it looks like! If there is confusion about ellipticum I take my share of the blame. In any case it is a great plant. It likes being outside, has scented flowers which appear in late August and early September. It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside (but do check that the plant you're getting looks like the picture on this website). In bud and about to flower 24th August - this is a plant left in ground and uncovered,

 forrestii

This is a great hardy ginger that grows and flowers happily outside in early August. It grows to about 6ft and leans over producing upright spikes of big white flowers which have no scent but do last well. It then produces very attractive fruit (see pictures). It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside.

gardnerianum

This is a lovely plant. It is totally hardy and usually flowers late August into September with a strong earthy sensual scent. It is the parent of a lot of excellent hybrids with coronarium flavescens including a number of the fantastic Tai (previously Dees) hybrids. Highly recommended to grow outside in milder areas and others with mulching. Every garden should have one. In these colder years it is proving a bit reluctant to flower. I will be giving it the in and out treatment for 2012.

maximum

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt as a potted plant and planted in the garden in October 2010, it has now produced one shoot (Mid May 2011). I'll keep you posted.By 20th August the stem  is very robust at 5 feet and is producing a second one.

species from Carol Klein's nursery

Similar to spicatum and forrestii but bigger flowers and a faint scent. Mine is doing battle with a musa sikkimensis and holding its own. It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside. I recently saw something pretty much identical labelled 'Tresco' at Wisley (we were up in the big city to see David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing and took in Wisley on the way home). It is not Tresco but interesting to see even the experts confused.

Spicatum

Similar to the above and forrestii but smaller flowers and no scent. One to plant and forget about until it flowers. It is highly recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside. We recently acquired a spicatum with red undersides to the leaves   from Crug Nursery, like greenii which is a most handsome beast.

wardii

This one has yellow flowers and has a very distinct look (see pictures). It was marketed as an amazing addition to cultivation a few years back and there were pictures of big clumps flowering away. However, grown outside, in some years it only produces a few stems and I have not seen repeat photos of the bonanza year. Mine stubbornly produces one stem that flowers every year. In fact I saw this year's stem break through the ground this week (mid May). Perhaps it would bulk up if potted in the greenhouse but I'm not planning to dig it up and a second one would be too expensive and take up greenhouse space. This is a hardy hedychium that flowers in August/September but is slow to bulk up outside. It has no scent. In bud ready to flower by 25th August. Now starting to bulk up but hit path edging.

yunnanense

This is like a small delicate spicatum. It is our earliest in to flower (July) even when grown outside but it is very small at 12 to 15 inches (or to use the metric system 3048 to 3810 million angstroms) and to me this makes it less impressive.  I like my hedychiums like I like my lattes - tall with a rich aroma). It is recommended as a hardy early flowering ginger to grow outside. Not flowered early in 2011 but looking healthy and will probably in Sept. It usually goes in July.

Hybrids:

Brandi Saito

We picked this one up from Jungleplants when they decided to turn over more of their production area to the more trendy Cannas and were selling off old stock in spring of 2010. It hasn't flowered yet. We'll keep you posted. We did see it flowering when we visited Andrew Gaunt and it is most impressive with big white, well scented flowers. It has now passed on.

Corellii

Up until two years ago I would have voted this one which is sometimes sold as coronarium 'flat top' or sometimes just coronarium, for its imposing height, willingness to flower in early September and its pure white flowers with a powerful sweet citrus scent ' what's not to like. Then we had to move the big clumps we had,that some visitors will remember from those day, and replant them into less good soil right before the cold winters of 2008 and 2009. They never recovered and huge clumps dwindled into a solitary plant. I lifted it and potted it last Autumn and it's ready to try again in better soil. I have also ordered a couple of new plants. I hope visitors will be amazed by them again in our garden and ask my favourite question (Where can I get one?) Recommended for growing outside but should be well mulched and don't come crying to me if it ups and dies. Magnificent! The o.ne I overwintered is now flowering at about half its normal height but the ones I ordered in are not the same

Daniel Weeks

I have high hopes for this one which we got from Andrew Gaunt in the autumn of 2010. It is a similar hybrid to Devon Cream, Tresco 1 and St Martin's hybrid but instead of coronarium as a parent with gardnerianum it has the equally well scented flavescens and flowers nicely in Andrew's huge unheated greenhouse. I'll be reporting on it later. It has not really got going and is small and slightly sick looking.

Devon Cream

In my opinion this is the perfect hedychium, flowering early (late August to early Sept if grown outside with some protection in colder areas) having a really good scent and each flower spike lasting more than a week as an antidote to the fleetingly flowered ones like Tara. It flowers as about 3 feet tall and does not wander about (like Tara which I do also like). Highly recommended to grow outside in milder areas and others with mulching. In the past 2 years it has struggled but is now recovering all over the garden. Should be back to best in 2012. I'll be bringing some in for the winter

Double Eagle

We picked this one up from Jungleplants when they decided to turn over more of their production area to the more trendy Cannas and were selling off old stock in spring of 2010. It hasn't flowered yet. We'll keep you posted.

Elizabeth

Very much the Nick Clegg of the hedychium world. Promised well early on and looked likely to make the species trendy, but unrealistic claims and unfulfilled promises make it one to avoid. Although it has very healthy looking foliage, it flowers far too late or even not at all. One best avoided. I shall be giving it the same treatment as Pink Hybrid this year as a last chance and if it fails again I'll plant it somewhere out of sight. I understand that this is similar to the treatment the LibDems are planning for Mr Clegg. No sign of any progress this year. Now looking to get rid of. My advice to anyone looking for good pink hedychium is 'Pink Hybrid'. Not recommended.

Goldflame

The Wayne Rooney of the hedychium world, it stomps around the beds knocking others out of the way, and is not really pretty enough .It also flowers too late, though the scent is good (here I'm not able to give a Rooney comparison never having been that close to him). Seriously though this one will crack pots! Not recommended.

Kinkaku

This one has always been highly recommended so I got it along with Samsheri in the Spring of 2010. It's outside in a permanent position, didn't flower in its first year (none ever do) so we'll see what happens this time. Still poor performance in 2011. It's now on a final written warning.

Lemon Sherbet

Well scented creamy flowers on a short plant, flowers well if kept in but very late to flower if grown in the garden. Suitable for the old in-out treatment though not in the Clockwork Orange sense (see glossary of eccentric terms below). Although perfectly hardy not recommended for growing outside.

Pink Hybrid

Beautiful scented pink (!) flowers. I kept it in the greenhouse until it flowered in early August one year then put the pot out. It repeat flowered mid September. On the back of this I thought it would make a good outdoor plant. I was wrong! It doesn't. Despite 2 years of trying it didn't flower at all. This method of keeping in greenhouse (either heated or not it seems) gives it a head start and this is how I'm now treating a number of other ones I have deemed worthy of the effort ' keep them in until the first buds develop in August then move out. 60 litre pots are a good size but it's best to get ones with handles. Suitable for the old in-out treatment though not in the Clockwork Orange sense (see glossary of eccentric terms below). Although perfectly hardy not recommended for growing outside.

Pradhanii

We picked this one up from Jungleplants when they decided to turn over more of their production area to the more trendy Cannas and were selling off old stock in spring of 2010. It hasn't flowered yet. We'll keep you posted.

Samsheri

This one has always been highly recommended so I got it along with Kinkaku in the spring of 2010. It's outside in a permanent position, didn't flower in its first year (none ever do) so we'll see what happens this time. So far it has shown that it breaks ground early May while Kinkaku is not to be seen until early June.Looking health in August but no sign of flowers. Will be getting the old in out treatment.

Tai Emperor

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010. Tai Mammoth Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010, it has now produced one shoot (Mid May 2011). I'll keep you posted. In mid August it has 2 shoots looks healthy and it might flower next year.

Tai Pink Princess

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010.By mid August it has 3 big stems and another 4 small ones. May not flower this year but looks a propect.

Tai Savannah

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010.One chunky stem by mid August.

Tai Sunlight

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010, it has now produced one shoot (Mid May 2011). I'll keep you posted.Two chunky stems by Mid August.

Tara

A real stunner, wonderful orange flowers on a tall (6ft) plant. Don't believe the books that tell you it is scented and the flowers are very fleeting, but are such show stoppers that I can forgive this. Very hardy and reliable flowering mid to late August. Highly recommended to grow outside. Do what we do, have lots and you will get a longer season, 20+ flowering stems this year. There is some variation in Tara as it is a 'grex' but is a strong grower and does seem to mind being moves as much as many.

Thai Spirit

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010. Looks to me somewhat similar to Tara but no sign of flowers in mid August.

Tresco 1

See comments on Devon Cream. The flowers are similar but it is said to be less free flowering, although I have not found this to be the case. It does seem to be quicker to break ground in May and possibly slightly earlier to flower (late August early September outdoors). Highly recommended to grow outside in milder areas and others with mulching.

St Martin's Hybrid

Similar to Devon Cream but has not flowered for us yet because I have not yet bought it. See future updates. Probably suitable for growing outside as Devon Cream. 

White Starburst

Newly acquired from Andrew Gaunt and planted in the garden bareroot in October 2010, it has now produced one shoot (Mid May 2011). I'll keep you posted. A very vigorous plant and spreads quickly. No sign of flowers yet (mid August) but could be a prospect.