Shell ginger and Dutchman's Pipe

[MikeW]

I have the ginger in just a tad too much sun - it really takes a beating. The aristolochia is, sadly, about to come out. Just way to aggressive where I put it.

[Sean]

Here is one I captured of your shell ginger on a previous visit. I still think you can just cut away the structure of the broken frame on your Giant Aristolochia and lay it down on the ground heading toward the front yard. It will still be fruitful and there is really no reason to cut it down.

Cheers,
Sean

[Kittyzee]

So beautiful and exotic looking!   

[miguynmkoi]

I absolutely love the exotics you grow, Mike!  Does the ginger flower have a strong scent?  So many flowers on your Dutchman's pipevine!  Do they have a scent too?

[Mikey]

Do you have room under your shaded outdoor eating area where you could plant the shell ginger?  Mine are planted on the north side of the house and they bloom nicely.  All they need is some bright light.

Have you ever seen the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly in your yard?  The Pipevine Swallowtail is mostly black and it lays its eggs on the Pipevine.  I planted the smaller variety of pipevine two years ago, Aristolochia trilobata, but I have not seen the Pipevine Swallowtail as yet.

[KatFish]

 

[MikeW]

No scent that I can discern Annette - but then i was a smoker for 30 years.

Mikey - I have some other gingers under my gazebo - bloomed once in 5 years so far. I  just don't have enough shade to work with in my garden.
One of my irrigation pop up heads has just quit working - the one closest to my oldest brug - I am praying the roots did not work their way in there.
I would have hoped plants were smarter than messing with their link to the food chain!

Cheers,

Mike

[Mikey]

I had to remove my tree brug that was located in back near the enclosed patio.  I had noticed that the sprinkler for it as well as one several feet away had quit working.  In addition the patio concrete was begining to show hairline cracks near the brug and I assumed the cause were the surface roots of the brug.  I was right.  The stump was so massive that it took my son and I to move it once I dug it out.  The roots had broken my pvc line and made entry.  I pulled out 12' of roots out of that 3/4" pvc line....

[greenthumbnails]

Do you have room under your shaded outdoor eating area where you could plant the shell ginger?  Mine are planted on the north side of the house and they bloom nicely.  All they need is some bright light.

Have you ever seen the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly in your yard?  The Pipevine Swallowtail is mostly black and it lays its eggs on the Pipevine.  I planted the smaller variety of pipevine two years ago, Aristolochia trilobata, but I have not seen the Pipevine Swallowtail as yet.

I have definitely seen the eggs (orange) and the caterpillars (black with orange spikes- I'll try to post a pic later) and was wondering when I'd see the butterfly with all the larvae defoliating my pipe vine that I newly planted in the ground this year after wintering it inside one season.  I had given up hope when I saw that all the giagnatic larvae were gone and no cocoons in sight when yesterday I saw a large black butterfly with yellow markings on the tail end flying around. I think that was it.  Its the only one I've seen so far. 

Annette- I did a search before getting my pipevine and found that it will either be the kind that smells lemony or like "rotting flesh".  I hope mine is the "lemony" kind when I finally get a bloom.  I made sure that the ad said something about lemon scent when I got it.

Like your blooms MikeW

[Mikey]

Hey Mike.  Is your pipe vine Aristolochia gigantia?  A friend drove me by a house today where one was planted up against a house.  The flowers were HUGE.  I wish I had my camera.  The plant had been there for several years and the lower third was all hardwood with the green growth occurring mostly on the top.  It looked like it would be easier to tame since he was no longer getting all the runners at the lower level.

[Holldoll]

BEAUTIFUL!!

[moondivatx]

Love all the pictures...everything is so healthy.