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Newbie with questions
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Posted by johnsaunt 7 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 3, 06 at 8:32
I was given a hedychium in a pot and did everything wrong at first~too much sun burned the leaves, let it dry out and droop over and over. But now it's blooming and gorgeous. I'm planning it bring it inside for the winter and then plant in the ground next year in a suitable place where, I hope, it will be able to stay in the ground all year. Here are some questions:
l. It's very potbound and the tall stalks would flop over if I didn't have them propped against the branches of the Franklinia that's sheltering it. What is making it so leggy? Lack of direct sun? Bad watering habits? Or is it that the way it grows?
2. When it finishes blooming, should I cut back the stalks to make it go dormant or should I let it get hit by frost? Or just let it dry out?
3. It'll winter over in a glassed in breezeway with afternoon sun and night temps that are very chilly, but not cold. Would it continue to grow under these conditions, or will it go dormant?
4. Would it be better to divide and repot after it goes dormant, or in the spring when it starts growing again?
Thanks for any help you can give me. I wish this forum had a FAQ page!
Ginny |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Newbie with questions
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| You didn't say which Hedychium you have. I would make a difference whether or not you could grow it in the ground in zone 7, how much sun, how much water. If it is Coronarium, white butterfly, then it is rated for your zone. Most all hedychiums tend to flop over especially if the stalks are thin. Not much you can do about it except stake them up. The flower is terminal. The stalk will die after blooming but others will take its place. I leave the stalks that have bloomed until the first frost. The dying stalk returns nutrients and energy to the rhizone mass. After the first frost, I cut them back; they are in dormancy then. When we have a mild winter, they grow and bloom all winter and don't go into total dormancy, just grow slow. I would cut back on the watering schedule to once a week. I think it would be better to divide in the spring. Again, it would help to know which Hedychium you are growing. Steve |
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