You're right Elaine, Alpinias bloom on old growth unlike Hedychiums which bloom on new growth. They seem to bloom sooner in the ground. If I remember correctly, the bloom time for the Shell Ginger is late Winter, early Spring whereas the Hedychiums is late Summer into Fall.
If you're wanting a Ginger that does well in containers and look exotic, then you might consider the Globbas - they are exotic looking and bloom like crazy in containers. Their bloom time is around mid Summer and go dormant in Winter.
