Surprise, surprise! Roscoea schneideriana

October ended with a nice surprise. Roscoea schneideriana has flowered beautifully this year and in all honesty I didn’t expect any seeds; it was enough to see it thriving in the garden. Then, one day I noticed that one capsule had burst open and the seeds spilled on the ground.

Roscoea schneideriana with split capsule and seeds in late October

It is always very rewarding when a plant started from seeds reaches the point of flowering well and produces seeds! And Roscoea schneideriana is a special one, with characters a bit unique in its genus (to mention just the leaves arrangement, the length of the staminodes and the round anther appendages). It grows wild in Western China (Sichuan and Yunnan), in mixed forests, open limestone slopes, among rocks and ledges of mountains between 2600-3350 m alt. (from The Genus Roscoea, Jill Cowley).

Roscoea schneideriana flowering in early September; notice the round anther appendages, a good ID character for this species

I know that most people in our climate avoid growing hardy gingers, but they are not difficult to start from seeds.
Most species are warm germinators, or will germinate after a short period of cold/moist stratification (1 month). So, you can sow and start them under lights indoors in February/March, or directly outdoors in April/May (depending on the region).
In the first year the seedlings grow for a few months and then become dormant; do not overwater when dormant. They should be grown in the same pot for 2 years at least until the little tubers can be handled more easily.

As you will see, they form fleshy, elongated tubers which need a bit of extra attention for a couple of years (in most cases I overwinter them in pots in the garage). After that you can plant them in the garden (in a part-shaded, well drained location) and you’re done!

Growing from seeds you always get to play with few seedlings not just one plant, and you can experiment with planting in various locations. I find they are much easier to establish when planting young tubers than fully grown plants. They can get fast to the soil depth of their liking and survive better our harsh winters.

One more thing: don’t wait for them to emerge at spring time. They sit underground chit chatting with the Arisaemas and both forget it is time to show up. And then they all do it in a big hurry!

You can also read about R. auriculata below (the Earth octopus). It also flowered well but no seeds. Maybe next year :)