Curcuma Species, Siam Tulip, Summer Tulip

I purchased a pot from Home Depot, which was kept in late afternoon sunlight on the patio (the tag said partial shade). Although pretty ...Read Moreat first, the leaves burnt, and I forgot about the plant over the winter. The pot was completely neglected from September to March. We had a very mild winter, so I dug around in the pot out of curiosity and found healthy feeling bulbs. After reading endlessly contradictory advise for this plant, I planted them in shade, part shade, and full sun. To my surprise, every area I planted the bulbs has healthy plants, but those in full afternoon sun are performing the best and have large flowers in early July. Love this plant and hope it overwinters again.

Benbrook, Texas. Planted September 2014. Western exposure partial sun, in a bed with drip irrigation and misters, run approx 20 minutes d...Read Moreaily, early AM, April-October. My wife purchased this plant from Lowes.
Fertilized lightly each March with Black Kow manure.
June 2016 planted two white Siam Tulips.
Blooms from late May through October. Currently, have 14 purple blooms and 3 white blooms and 5 white blooms.
I would like to pland more. Would like to propagate, but reluctant to damage what I have.

I bought these from Walmart garden center 7 or 8 yrs ago, and they didn't survive my zone 8a winter here in central South Carolina. To be...Read More fair, they were marketed as annuals. Still, I was disappointed.
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I Love this plant!! So easy to care for and great blooms. I planted mine in a bed under a live oak and have been rewarded with great bloo...Read Morems. I fertilize twice a year and the plant does the rest. I live in Portland, Texas.

I found the plant awkward looking in a mixed border in my Houston-area garden. It received adequate sun, but wasn't at all attractive. ...Read MoreI pitched it.

I was planting a rose garden, and out of this older pot came this green plant. I watered it modestly, liked the design on the leaf, and t...Read Morehen the center starting maturing. I could not remember how I got the tulip, however, it's my thought that it came with another plant, with the tulip in the center. Lack of care seemingly caused the Siam Tulip to die; but, that was not the case. It had only gone into its winter hibernation, and now I am enjoying it again in Dallas, TX.

Yes, they grow beautifully in Dallas with moderate sun.

All of a sudden they started springing up in another pot where I had put some of the dormant root, not knowing that they are the Siam Tulip, and I have 6 or 8 growing in that one pot. I am going to go to Home Depot to get separate pots for each of them. It could be a nice project, and I will try one in the new rose garden to see if it can tolerate that much light.

Tis an attractive leaf plant, with a beautiful surprise.

Jmichael

I would like to know if anyone has had problems with curling leaves of the Siam Tulip? I just planted it in a filtered sun spot in a wel...Read Morel-draining soil. However a few of the leaves are curling. Any ideas?

Just planted this in the small area between my house & the walkway to my front door (approx 9" wide x 3.5' space) where they get morning ...Read Moreto early afternoon (about 12:30 p.m.) direct sun, zone 7-8 (Jackson, Mississippi, avg temp now is at 88F) and they are white, long lasting flowers with the smaller purple florets in the stalks. They go WONDERFULLY with Platycodon (single lavender Balloon Flower). I had been looking for a perennial to alternate between my balloon flowers and this one is IT! I was surprised to find it at Home Depot, I usually only find very ordinary plants there and at the other chain-store garden centers, but every once in a while, I find a gem like this. They had them in purple, too but I have more than enough of that in my garden!! One of my new favorites, I will be planting tehse in all colors next year. I haven't over-wintered them but all the bulbs that I am supposed to store away in the winter do just fine with some cypress mulch or pine straw mounded heavily over them. It CAN freeze here, but I haven't had any problems just covering the soil instead of digging them up. Could be because it is against an insulated exterior stucco wall too.

I did exactly the same thing as Igerard: packed them in peat in a sealed plastic box under the house. Started with two plants; yielded a...Read Morebout 40 bulbs. Planted them in ground in mid-April; too early. Two of them have appeared just this morning. Method seems to work pretty well, but I should have waited for the soil to warm more.

I live in Zone 7A on the new USDA map.

This plant has gorgeous fuchsia "flowers." It went crazy in almost full sun by our front door and got lots of attention. We're in zone ...Read More7, so I dug them up and stored them in a box of peat under our house for the winter. No luck getting them to sprout so far this year (in pots) but will try a few others in the ground.

A lot of large foliage but only one anemic flower after two years.

I bought a couple of plants at Walmart in 07. I planted them next to an oak tree. Water them when I am in that area of the yard. Blooms A...Read Moreug/Sept. Cover it with pine straw for the winter. Has come back so far in zone 9a.

We bought 2 different varities of this Ginger a couple of years ago.I planted in well draining and partical sun area.I mulched heavyly w/...Read Morepinestraw for winter.They have done very well and bloomed each summer.We live in LaPine Al. 30 miles south of Montgomery.But pinecone ginger is a problem.They produce smaller plants each year.This year I have moved to a different part of the yard.Still stunted growth.
We have several varties that are thriving.
Ivy Q

Easiest plant ever and gorgeous, lotus like flower which is long lasting (1 month).
I gave it a try in a large patio pot . Mine is...Read More not in full sun and is in salt air here on the beach. It's got new flowers and is multiplying, doing very well.

This plant appeared mysteriously in our garden a few months ago. When the leaves first came up I almost pulled them out. In a matter of...Read More two months or so it has flowered beautifully. Until today I wasn't able to identify it. Thanks guys and gals. Now I know how to take care of it and what to expect.

Siam Tulip is thriving in full August sun & heavy summer rains in southwest Florida.

This plant grows well in our hot, humid summers in MS. However, it is not hardy to zone8 in my experience, despite what other sources sa...Read Morey. I had initially ordered 12 of them, and they all did wonderfully, but did not survive the winter, which was not a particularly cold one for us. Our winters, however, are quite wet, and maybe that is the problem.

Wonderful plant. Flowered for me from July through October 2004 (bought and planted in Garden in July). Dormant now. These guys can ta...Read Moreke over! I went from 3 to 9 in a matter or just a few months.

We bought this house in December, oblivious to all the wonderful landscaping that had been neglected for the past four years. When the c...Read Moreurcuma sprang up in July, we did not know what to expect. When the gorgeous pink blooms opened, we were excited to see such beauty. Because the previous homeowners never used the sprinkler system, and never mowed the grass, I have to assume these plants are very hardy in NW Florida.

Regarding the watering of Curcuma, they need to be kept dry during their dormancy period, which will be Oct/Nov depending on where you li...Read Moreve. If they're over watered during this time, they tend to rot.