I have been thoroughly enjoying the flowers from my Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) over the past couple of weeks. So much that most of them have ended up in vases in the house. These are interesting tropical accent plants that are fairly common in South Florida, but oddly enough a bit hard to find to buy. A couple of years ago I found one for my favorite price -five bucks at a garage sale. Sold!
Planted beside our garage to screen an ancient (and exceedingly ugly) pressure treated pine fence and doing an admirable job, reaching 6 feet high and wide in about two years. The flowers are icing on the cake. Starting as a chain of shiny pink flowers resembling sea shells (hence the name) a 6 inch long bud spills the pink shell like flowers out – then a yellow orchid like flower follows at the end.
The foliage is lush and tropical and is evergreen where I live, further north it dies back in the winter – even further north an annual. There is a variegated Shell Ginger with beautiful foliage, unfortunately it rarely flowers, but is still a great accent.
So, why “Gingerly Simple”? Usually I like to stuff a variety of flowers into a vase, these I think stand alone and look better displayed in a simple vase with a few real seashells.
The Shrub Queen 
Thanks to you, I now know that my Ginger isn’t really a ginger. Dichorisandra thyrisflora is really a spiderwort relative. Hi ho. I hope I didn’t purchase a weed.
Yours is beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you buy a Blue Ginger?
LikeLike
Logee’s
LikeLike
Don’t tell me it is a $12 weed PLEASE.
LikeLike
I bought one this summer and potted it up, it is growing and looks like a Transcandentia zebrina with bigger leaves and I am not sure I got a Blue Ginger.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your shell ginger is really robust. The ginger is so exotic, nothing else is needed in the vase.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Robust is a good description! Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are gorgeous and just absolutely perfect in the way you displayed them. WOW!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you
LikeLike
Gorgeous arrangement. Simplicity has its virtues.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Feeling virtuous here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, the blooms and leaves needed nothing else, and the simplicity of the shells adds to the effect. Thanks for sharing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The shell ginger flowers are so elegant and the simplicity of the arrangement suits them perfectly. I’d love to grow that ginger but I suspect it’s too thirsty to be happy here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kris and I think you are right. The Shell Ginger lives where the water drains off the roof and is very happy.
LikeLike
The arrangement looks so attractive, I have only seen this plant in botanical gardens and it is so striking.
LikeLike
They really do look like seashells with a lovely polished look to them. Simply arranged by themselves shows them off well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Been loving the gingers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, I agree – these flowers deserve a vase tonthemselves. Love the delicate colour and shape. And to have a shrub that size full of those flowers must be wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are large perennials and leafy right by the garage, so I see them a lot.
LikeLiked by 1 person