That's one nice thing about living in the DC suburbs. You name it and we have it. lol It's such a multi-cultural region. Because of the government, the embassies, NIH, John's Hopkins, etc there's people from all over the world living nearby. The blooms of the butterfly ginger small great, nothing like ginger but the foliage does have a scent if crushed. The butterfly ginger isn't a true ginger if I'm not mistaken. Kylie if there's something you want me to pick up let me know. I'll let you know how the ginsing does. One of the roots already has a little bit of green sprouting. I'm going to start them in pots. If they grow I'll have to figure out where I can plant them. I think they like being in the woods around the base of big oak trees or something like that. Too bad I only have little ornamental flowering trees in my yard. lol Karyn

Hi Storygardner,Princess Mimi and Xarolent and Steph98. I was just reading the posts on the thread from the swap and when I was reading them I had started from the very last posting and scrolling upwards.I had felt like I missed out on the best part of my gardening life missing the swap this year because of my knee surgery.I was so excited to read what everyone did and what great plants were exchanged and just wanting to get the full experience of the fun and excitement I always take away with me after attending the swap through everone else who posts their delight at being there.I sure missed you all.Then as I got closer to the top I started to get confused and was wondering what was going on,Then as I read on I got real sad and felt so awfully bad for the girls I addressed this post to.And their children.How awful and hurtful for all involved.Chemicalrxm5,You should be so ashamed in all your beefing.You came to a swap with expectations of Grandure.It's a swap for peets sake.I have brought at different times 250,300 plants sometimes less.I never have gone with the expection of bringing home that many in return.Who would want that many plants?Oh right! You would. The first time I came to the swap was 5 years ago,I brought 273 plants and went home with 21 or maybe 25 plants.I thought I hit the Jackpot.I loved everything I took home and I met wonderful people and had Great food and I even got lucky and won a door prize.The people welcomed me and my friend Sue with open arms and I've been hooked ever since.You could take a lesson from the kids.This is a fun and learning process for them.They need the guidence from their parents to know the difference from one plant to the next, So if the parent says to them, thats a good plant in my opinion thats teaching them one plant from the other.They won't be children forever and this is a good way to educate them in something so wonderful.It's teaching them the value of the earth,Where our foods are grown and most inportantly,How to share.Something you are short on. You may have scarred these children with your petty bickering over a plant or a door prize.I think you owe these children an apology and ask for their forgiveness.Any time children are involved in plants and planting and gardening we all should be grateful for the teachings at home who have taken them down this road and kept them from drugs and such.I'm proud to know kids like them!!!So I say to you,God Bless You,Be Healthy and Apologize. Granny57x

It is Stromanthe Sanguinea "Triostar". It is listed as hardy to zone 9b but I've been growing this plant outdoors for years. It's almost croaked a few times from a nasty 22 degrees freeze that we had two winters in a row a few years back. It likes shade. It needs water on a regular basis even if planted in the ground. Steve

Seems I had two gingers quite a few years back, a larger growing spiral ginger, Costus barbatus , which has flowered indoors in late fall once brought in for the winter, though usually only if the days are sunny while it's adjusting to indoors and it's getting enough light, and for some reason no blooms this fall , though it grew much has it has for years during the summer , with robust large new canes from which the blooms are produced, and the other I guess a dwarf costus perhaps that died perhaps from over watering in winter . I must say though I tend to love large plants even for indoors , those gingers of many varieties that produce running rhizomes from which new growth sprouts to produce blooms each year, have such incredibly tough and rampant rhizomes that make frequent division or thinning when in containers quite necessary for dependable blooms, least the plants become terribly rootbound in just a few years. Have to say , the last time I decided to divide and thin the Costus barbatus , it had cracked the plastic pot , and I struggled to cut through the rhizomes to thin it using a sawing motion with a large serrated knife , and perhaps a small chain saw or Loppers would have succeeded much more easily and hence it's not been thinned or divided in years , though it needs that , just considering the grunts and groans the last time I divided it.