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The Turmeric is Flowering

The turmeric is flowering, such gorgeous flowers. They’re hidden deep within the foliage, but the plant is very good looking anyway.  At least in summer.  It doesn’t work so well as a decorative plant because it dies right back in winter – a period of yellowing daggy looking leaves, followed by bare ground with not a trace of the bounty underneath.

But for a little while, in midsummer it’s the perfect plant – lush green leaves a metre or so tall, these gorgeous bromiliad-like flowers nestled inside, and the fragrant, spicy rhizomes to dig whenever you want.

Posted in Garden, Mid Summer

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9 Comments

  1. Vanessa

    Beautiful!! They last for a long time too. So sad mine didn’t flower this year, although I’ve propagated it so fingers crossed I’ll have more of these gorgeous white flowers next year.

  2. Liz

    Ahh so a metre is how big the leaves are supposed to be – mine, well no not quite – 30cm is probably a close estimate. And as for flowering…well no, clearly not as happy in my climate….

  3. narf7

    Glad I read this post because when my turmeric in the glasshouse dies back in winter I would have thought that it died because it was in Tassie ;). What gorgeous flowers! Gingers, and other tropical rhizomes have the most amazing flowers and have me in total envy of you all up there in the tropics. Even my ability to grow fruit and tomatoes minus fruit flies is only borderline satisfaction. I doubt that my turmeric (or cardamom) will ever host flowers but I am just happy to have them in my glasshouse 🙂

  4. Teresa

    How fun to see this. As a resident of chilly New England, where turmeric is known only as a yellow powder in a jar or maybe a dried root in an ethnic market, I had no idea the plant was so lovely.

  5. Linda

    I do remember to feel lucky to live and garden in the sub-tropics. I miss out on being able to grow apples or pears or peaches or apricots, and I have a hard time with brussels sprouts or broad beans. But, on the flip side, I can grow mangoes and lychees and paw paws and avocados, and turmeric and ginger. Fair trade off I think!

  6. Fiona

    Ohhh I will have to check mine for a flower. With all this rain they are growing like mad although mine are only about 50cm high.

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