Never be too hasty!

Gentle rain overnight, but still more needed. I can see the soil profile from the kitchen window where the bank above the house has been cut down and the moisture hasn't got down very far!

I've been working inside for most of the day, but later in the afternoon I popped out with the camera Blip-hunting and spotted this shoot growing. It's a plant in the ginger family, Hedychium gardnerianum, which I first saw when I worked at Ross Priory. There was a big clump of it growing against the wall in the glasshouse and I thought it was amazing. I tried it outside against a south wall and it survived quite happily, but never successfully flowered as the flowering stems appeared far too late and began to open in November, getting frosted.

While at Arduaine I visited Glasgow Botanics where I knew a few friendly gardeners. They were renovating the Kibble Palace at the time, a huge glasshouse, and had removed all the plants which they wished to save. I was allowed to go in with a spade to dig up anything I fancied. I came home with several plants including a big clump of my favourite hedychium which I then grew in the conservatory at Arduaine. When I retired I brought a piece with me and potted it into a tub out on the deck. Last winter it got cut down in the particularly cold week that we had and I thought it had gone. I was so annoyed, as along with several other less than hardy plants I could have given it some protection. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a small green shoot appearing and here it is! Now I have to begin the growing process again and one day might see it flower! You can see a picture of it here - 
https://encyclopedia.phoenixperennials.com/plant.php?plantId=2249

I suppose that the moral of the story is 'Don't throw anything out before you're absolutely sure that it's dead!' The same thing happened to another amazing plant which will be a Blip for the future!