Last fall (2011) I attended the Galveston County Master Gardener’s
Ornamental & Perennial Plant Sale (OPPS). They always have really cool
plants that aren’t readily available from area garden centers. That’s, in large
part, because the plants come from Treesearch Farms in Houston. Heidi Sheesley,
Owner/Manager of Treesearch is a “certifiable plant nut” and a walking encyclopedia
of knowledge on perennials and other unique plant materials. Each year Heidi
supports the OPPS by presenting a detailed seminar on items that will be offered
for sale. I was particularly interested in the many ginger varieties they had
and ended up purchasing several.
Just in case you’ve forgotten – last fall was hotter and drier
than (you fill in the blank…). But since the OPPS was in mid-October, I felt
confident that fall rains and cooler temperatures would provide the “perfect”
conditions for my new gingers to become established before winter set in. After
all, fall is for planting – right? Oops. The rains never showed up and
despite frequent irrigation, most of my brand new gingers bit the dust. I was
VERY disappointed and down-right POed about the situation.
Now – fast forward to May, 2012. I was checking out our alley bed (which was
to be the site of the ginger collection) and low and behold what did I come
across? You guessed it! Most of the plants were coming back. In fact some had
put on some pretty serious growth. I didn't think there was a snowball’s chance
of them making it but Mother Nature has proven me wrong once again.
Of course I’m still not sure about the adaptability of these
plants to an area that receives dense shade for part of the day and blistering sun
the rest – but I’ll keep you posted.
How about you. Any surprise come backs from last years drought?
