Curcuma

 

Curcuma . . . it sounds like a greeting in a foreign language, but in fact, it is the name of a flowering, sun loving tropical plant. The other day after picking up a few things on the clearance garden rack at Lowe's, I also checked out the regular priced plants.  :-) This beautiful plant caught my eye and came home with me. It's a "Siam Sparkling Curcuma with white bracts and blue-purple flowers." I knew absolutely nothing about this plant, but I found information at Costa Farms .  While it would be lovely in a garden, I'm choosing to keep in on my sunporch.

I wasn't the only one drawn to this plant as I saw quite a few in other shopping carts; it's a show stopper!  It is not winter hardy in this region, but again, if you go to Costa Farms, they tell you how to save it during the winter. It is a perennial in warmer climates.

I also read that this plant is native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea, and northern Australia and is related to the spice turmeric. A touch of the tropics on my sunporch . . .