You can plant them directly into the ground now but these are deciduous gingers, they naturally go dormant in winter, so you may not get much out of them til next year.

Thank you , Bihai. Something great this week..... finally got the DSL service for our home computer. We have been creeping along with Dial-up , and some plant sites ,full of large photographs have been impossible to visit. I love your rainforest, and the photography is excellent. I could smell the jungle in my imagination !! I hope your greenhouse and gardens were undamaged this Sept.

Thanks again,

Florajilly

Thank you very much! I appreciate your comments. I only lost a few alocasias to rot after the standing water from a huge retention pond across the way flooded my greenhouse...that and some heat stress on some of my orchids from not being able to water them for 14 days out of the month of September...I consider myself lucky in the entire scheme of things.

I may add you need space for this gal. It will very shortly take over a space to their liking and the tubers get massive. They will sun scald so plant in dappled shade. They are lovely tall arching gingers and look grand. The flowers are interesting too but tend to be a bit difficult to see if you aren't looking for them. The flowers start out green and get redder as the monthes pass. Give the flowers a squeeze for a suprise ;->
Mike

Mike , you indicate that I need space....the hurricanes created plenty of space !!!!! What I do need , is for my 6 live oaks to grow and regenerate their canopies. I know that zerumbet's flowers aren't too obvious or showy , however I find the pine cone shape to be very appealing. I also intend to harvest and wash my hair with some of them !!!!!
Today I went to a local garden festival and came home with Hedychium 'Elizabeth '
I must be getting bitten by the ginger bug :)

Thank you,

Florajilly

Don't worry about space, it takes a few seasons for these to fill in. Also, I do grow them in full sun, they won't burn if you pay attention to watering them. I have a bed planted with these, Alocasia wentii, Korean rock fern, Zngiber officianale, and Alpinia formosana that is a great planting combo.