ROSCOEA. Himalaya, China. These are beautiful hardy allies of the edible and ornamental gingers. They form small permanent colonies by means of slowly creeping rhizomes. From these leafy shoots appear–sometimes sufficiently late in spring that one begins to doubt whether the plant is still alive–growing quickly and flowering in summer. The leaves are like miniatures of those of Hedychium or Cautleya, only a few inches long at the most, but bright and lush. The flowers are irregular, with a basal tube and widely split upper and lower portions and a distinct “lip”, giving them the appearance of orchids. They die to the ground in late fall. These are plants for moist, shady places, needing rich, acid soil. They make beautiful subjects for containers, in spite of the long dormant season. The following are hardy to 0^oF. or less if well mulched in winter.

alpina. This is a rather dainty plant, with slender stems up to 1’ high and dark, narrow leaves. The flowers barely emerge from the top leaf. They are about an inch long and light pink to mauve in color.

cautleoides. A more robust plant, growing 1’ to nearly 2’ high. The leaves are narrow, up to 6" long and light, slightly grey-green in color. Several pale yellow flowers, each 2" or more in spread, are clustered at each shoot tip in summer.

purpurea. This is the showstopper of the group. The shoots are 1’ high or a little more, stouter than those of other species, and lined by dark leaves up to 10" long. The flowers are up to 4" top-to-bottom, rich purple in this strain, with lighter and darker markings.