Alpinia coerulea
7th November 2008
A very pretty species with reddish leaves and white flowers, followed by blue berries. It comes from Australia, and is not very hardy, but
there have been a few good reports of its performance so I am giving it a try. I have two stocks, a very red clone that is quite common in cultivation,
but does not seem to be very cold tolerant.
I have also raised several pots of these seedlings, which are a bit more variable in colour, but also seem to be more forgiving of the cold.
Most of them have come into the house for the winter, but I have left one pot out in the greenhouse to see how they manage - they will come in
if they start to look really miserable.
13th September 2009
They are growing, but I get the feeling I will never see them in flower, there just isn't enough warmth here in winter, even indoors.