Not sure if they can take full sun like Cannas do, so I'll be keeping them in a shadier spot and keep them mulched and watered. do you grow them or know people that do?

The following gingers are rated for zone 7a. I'm using written sources and can't say from actual experience since I'm zone 9. Some will bloom on new growth, some will only bloom on second year growth. On those that bloom on second year growth, you will most likely never see a bloom: Alpinia Formosana, Alpinia Nutans, Alpinia Zerumbet, Alpinia Zerumbet Variegated, Curcuma Petiolata, Curcuma Elata, Hedychium Coronarium(I'd try this one first, very fragrant flowers) and numerous other Hedychium gingers. Google Hedychium gingers. Steve

That sounds like an interesting idea, but I've always (well, the 3 or 4 times I've done it) started ginger just by putting it somewhere out of the way. Usually I've tried to put it somewhere darkish, we happen to have a cupboard above the fridge, so that's about ideal. I also just left it out in the spare room. Point being - no particular attention to temperature (or humidity - the "root" itself has a lot of moisture, so I never put it in a bag or anything). Warmish and darkish was enough for me to get good results. I will say that you have to be careful about picking a nice fresh root. It's pretty to see if the ones your grocery store is selling have seen better days. I find that if they look overly wet or yellow, it's a good indication they've been frozen. If they're wrinkled they've been dried out too much and/or are old. If they have any moldy bits, I wouldn't bother with them.

Andres, Zone 6 gardener in southern Indiana here. I'm fairly new to gingers, but no one else has given you a reply, so I'll see if I can at least intiate some discussion. Gingers aren't hardy here, so I do all my growing in pots. I have had good luck with globba winitii. I let it get down to 50 degrees in the winter and it goes totally dormant and is slow to 'wake up' in the spring, but grows quickly and blooms every year. Unfortunately, no fragrance, but really cool blooms. I also have several hedychiums in five-gallon pots. They stay green at 50 degrees in the winter, but you can let them go completely dormant, too. The challenge in a short growing season like yours, will be bringing them from complete dormancy and into bloom before fall. I would try keeping them cool and alive (green) all winter, which speeds up the new shoots in the spring. The old shoots don't have to grow to keep the plant 'awake' and ready to go. I would recommend a rich potting soil, a big pot, and lots of heat and water in the sunniest place you have to get them to bloom. From what I have read, they don't like to be planted out and re-dug every season like cannas will tolerate, so I'd keep them in pots. I'd also start with big plants, if possible. Mail order sources vary from dry, very small rhizomes, to huge, growing plants. Small ones may take a whole extra year to bloom. It's hard to find a 'short' hedychium for a pot. My first one was 'Vanilla Ice', the more variegated form of 'Dr. Moy'. It was supposed to get 3' tall, but it got 6' tall in a pot and still had plenty of time to bloom before frost here. Our last frost is around April 15th and our first frost is around October 15th. I want to get 'Daniel Weeks' since it's supposed to be one of the earliest to flower, and that's the key for cold-weather growers. I have flowered Tai Monarch and Anne Bishop, also. I have several other new ones, but haven't grown them big enough to bloom yet. As far as alpinias, they are a challenge since they don't bloom on the current year's shoots. You have to grow the shoots tall one season and keep them healthy, happy, and growing, to bloom the next spring. I have bloomed alpinia zerumbet variegata (once!), but really just grow it for its foliage. I'd love to be able to grow some of the other alpinias, but am tight on space and it's hard to justify something that never blooms for me. Hope some of this helps. Hoping for a HOT summer here for lots of quick growth. Best of luck with your plants! Bob