Could it be a Blue Ginger?? It is not a true ginger and I am not even sure why it is called Blue/Tahitian Ginger. Check out the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Ginger

Nope, not the blue ginger, but thanks for the suggestion. I found a tag in the bag the root is tied up in and it is labeled "Tahitian Ginger" Curcuma Alismatifolia.

I looked that up and the picture doesn't look anything like the plant she had on display, but the pictures I have seen are beautiful. I have a one gallon pot that I'm gonna plant this in and for now, I plan on treating it like my Hawaiian Gingers...morning sun, afternoon shade, and keeping the soil moist.

If anyone has a better planting suggestion, I'll be glad to hear it.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I purchased one of these at my localHome Depot (in Northern California) about 5 years ago. It was the most beautiful flower I had ever seen, it was like a multi-layered lavendar tulip with a multi-layered soft green neck (for lack of a better term). The tag called it a "Siam Tulip". Over that summer it bloomed several times, and over the winter it died, but I didn't know if that was due to the frost we had or if it was an annual. Anyway, I looked for years, and 2 weeks ago I got a root at the San Francisco garden show at the Cow Palace. I amready to plant but dont know what medium to use, before it was in Home depot variety potting soil, and the tag said it wanted shade. The pro's in SF said it needed sun. Any tips you had would be appreciated...doyou know if it comes in other colors? This is the first time I've ever logged on to one of these sites so I hope you get this and I did this right-Budzmom

Curcuma Alismatifolia, or Siam Tulip ginger, comes in several colors but the two most common I have seen are the pink and the white. They are marginally hardy here in my zone, 9a, coastal Louisiana. They sometimes come back but never as strong. I have gone to container growing them. I like this ginger. Stokes Tropicals usually carries this ginger during the summer months. Don't know if they have any this year.

Steve

Not that they're a rare plant in some parts of the country most lkely, but I was almost azazed to see some potted curcumas in a local Krogers store some years ago, and much tempted to try them. I'd add that growing dependable flowering gingers in the north can be difficult at best if relying only on our short summer outdoors, since they may take many months from the time the new flowering shoots arise to the time when they're big enough to flower. I do keep my big Costus barbatus growing yearound in containers, but even then no flowers since the first mature shoot flowered several years ago indoors during the winter. I would guess those that have natural dormant periods would be easier to bloom if planted outdoors in the summer, but have no idea of the time they require from planting to blooming. I must add, if it were not for the fact that someone gave me a very old gardening book about growing all kinds of hardy and tropical bulbs years ago, I would have guessed that just planting dormant rhizomes outdoors for the summer would easily provide blooms before the short season was over, but I'd guess not. Any other northern gardeners tried them from the dormant rhizomes, and did they rebloom reliably?