Must be your nose, mine have been blooming for weeks (no pun intended) and are among the most fragrant in my garden. Perhaps you didn't really get Daniel Weeks.

What I have that is supposed to be Daniel Weeks has fragrance, but is more peachy that "golden". How would everyone describe the color of your flowers? What do you think this is?

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-Gwenn

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:843568}}

That does not look at all like 'Daniel Weeks' to me. It looks like one of the many pinkish Hedychium hybrids - most of which have only a slight, if any fragrance. My own nose is not very sensitive, but I can definately detect the very strong fragrance of 'Daniel Weeks'. There are several photos of the real 'Daniel Weeks' on my website, at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hedychium 'Daniel Weeks' at GingersRus

I agree with Dave, that doesn't look like Daniel Weeks. But it is very nice whatever it is!!! It looks very delicate and frilly. I like it!

I don't have any doubts about the identification of mine. I got it from the entirely reliable Gingersrus and it looks just like those in his pictures (although they don't quite capture the beauty of the flowers in real life).

Not my nose either. Could it be it's lacking some kind of nutrient? In growing other plants for their frangrant flowers, I've found that scent can vary in its intensity depending on various factors, including the organic and mineral content of the soil. I planted this ginger in a bed where coronariums do well with little or nothing added to the native soil other than an organic mulch. Maybe Daniel Weeks would like some cow manure or something.

You know maybe it might be more fragrant for you at night?? Its so hot here, and I know it is there too...sometimes the highly scented plants seem to lose their scents til it cools off in the evening.

I was selling some Brugmansia a while ago, and people kept asking me about the scent of a particular one. I had to tell them that, honestly, I didn't think ANY brugmansia HAD a scent, because honestly I had never smelled any. Then someone emailed me and said, "Go smell them at NIGHT when its cool, and you will be able to smell them" and they were RIGHT! I guess I had never noticed the scent at night, when we were sitting around out by the pool or whatnot, because frankly, I have so many gingers and flowering vines like honeysuckle and Jasmine, and gardenias, and stuff like Wisteria, in the area that I just never realised the brugs were even putting out their own scent.

Good suggestion, but I already checked - no fragrance at night either. Not until until tonight anyway. I just checked again and it's interesting to find that the most recent bloom does have a faint sweetness if I sniff with my nose right on it. Not similar to honeysuckle; more like candy. The older blooms don't have it.

Maybe the plant will produce more fragrance in its flowers as it matures further.

NO way that picture is Daniel Weeks. I've grown hundreds over the past few years and my 'mother' plants came from Russell himself. In Puerto Rico it should have bloomed earlier than that, even here in Ocala mine blooms in June, before any other hedychium I have.
nicolo, glad you finally got a wiff of the blooms, I love that ginger. I'm always telling Russell how wonderful it is.
Liz

I too have Daniel Weeks and at this time I have about 9 stems with flowers. The fragrance is noticeable walking by some 30 feet away! One thing everyone else is saying about it flowering early, mine never starts till August. I try to monitor and record first flowers on all my plants, but with the number ever increasing its not easy. Here are dates I do have for Daniel since planting June 5, 1999:
First open flower(s)
August 26, 2000
August 2, 2001
August 4, 2005
August 9, 2006

It is first among the larger Hedychiums I have, but I have a much smaller, narrow leaved, non fragrant, unnamed that begins in late June.

Do you have any photos of your blooms? I haven't had any Hedychium bloom before D.W. Mine started a couple of months ago but, you are farther north than I am, so what you have will bloom a little later no matter what you have. I would post a picture of my Daniel Weeks but, GW won't accept my photos, too many mb per picture. If you want to see photos of mine just let me know your regular email address and I will send the pics to you. I am @ leneobrien@aol.com
Liz

Liz I ordered mine from Plant Delights nursery which I have always thought was a reputable place. It is certainly possible for even the best to make a mistake once in a while though. Here is my plant on Aug. 15......

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At one point, a few days ago, I had 13 stems with open flowers!!

That's a nice picture. Most of my gingers are not looking nearly so healthy this year. We've been having a drought all summer. Hand watering kept things alive, but the plants have been stressed, and they look it.

Anyway, the picture above has helped me confirm an error. I was mistaken when I started this thread. The ginger I thought was Daniel Weeks is something else - don't know what. The bed has a half dozen different Hedychiums in it. The non-fragrant Daniel Weeks look-alike is taller than Daniel Weeks and was growing in front, hiding it. I figured this out when I dug the larger plant up to move it.

Daniel Weeks, still in the corner of the bed, has no flower buds. Like the others, it's having a bad summer. Only the coronariums and the unidentified one have bloomed.

Very nice picture. Tony and everyone at Plants Delight is great. They got their D.W. from Russell also. I just love that ginger.
Liz