Hi Faye. I'm interested. Is there anything left on my list that you're interested in :) Thanks, Darlene

Sharon, They are tropical - in their natural habitats they grow in the filtered shade of tropical forests. Mine bloomed and it was in the shade of a big elm tree. They do not like hot, dry winds, so protect them from that. Mine was a gift from a cousin in Hawaii. I grew it in a large pot for four years and it still bloomed. Last fall I planted it by the patio so I could sit out at night and enjoy its beauty and fragrance. It blooms for several weeks. The plants are now 3-1/2 feet tall. They should be taller, but we are having a drought and horribly high temps and that has stunted them in spite of my watering them daily and feeding them. Poor things. No signs yet of blooming. I sure hope it blooms this year. Annie

I'd lay off the watering until you see some signs of growth. All of my Curcuma are in the ground and have emerged from winter dormancy. You don't need to water until there is growth. Steve

Alpinia purpurata is extremely difficult to grow outside of zone 10. It languishes greatly during winter months, even if protected. It is difficult to grow even in a container in a heated greenhouse during my zone 9 winter. The blooms, when container grown, have never reach the true size of the bloom where grown in situ and are ugly looking. Temperatures below 50, even for a few hours, can kill it plus it needs constant high humidity. I've been trying to grow this ginger for years and it has always disappointed me. With that said, there are several US internet nurseries that sell this alpinia. Gardino's in Florida(www.rareflora.com), Aloha Tropicals in CA, both sell these gingers and might ship to Canada. Most US nurseries have stopped selling this alpinia as it even struggles for survival in deep south Florida. Steve