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Dig This: Gardening Notes

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 24, 2008

Gingers are full of surprises. The kind we like.

They may give you bright cones of red bracts covered with flowers of yet another color. They may scent your yard with sweet perfume. They spice food, cure illnesses, and one will even give you a great shampoo.

Because they're tropical, and we're pretty much subtropical, we get to grow most gingers without a lot of effort.

They include genus Hedychium, with the most fragrant flowers; Alpinas, or shell gingers, usually big and showy; popular Costus, with their spiral leaf pattern and bracts-and-flower inflorescence; and Zingiber, from which foods and medicines come.

They grow on rhizomes, stems that run just below the soil's surface. (It's the rhizome of Zingiber officinale that most of us know as a spice.) They tend to like rich, well-drained soil, plenty of moisture and filtered sun. Some can't tolerate a freeze, or even a chill, but most come back when the weather warms.

Many gingers are affordably priced and available at local nurseries and garden centers.
White butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

The most fragrant of the Hedychiums, white butterfly is also the hardiest and has the largest flowers. It blooms summer to fall and prefers partial shade but will tolerate full sun, just keep it wet. (I planted mine near the hose.) It also grows in water.

Crepe ginger (Costus speciosus)

Gardeners love the rich green foliage of this dramatic landscape plant, which grows 6 to 9 feet tall. It produces a red cone that blossoms with white, ruffled flowers that look like crepe paper. It likes partial sun, but tolerates full, and blooms summer to fall.
Red tower ginger (Costus barbatus)

The bright red inflorescence produces yellow blooms for a striking color combo that makes it a popular ginger. Plant in medium to full sun. Also known as a spiral ginger, the stems get 6 to 8 feet tall and tend to swirl and sway. Expect blossoms from about April to November.

Giant plume (Curcuma elata)

You'll get more foliage than flower from this "hidden ginger," which must grow a few years before it produces its first inflorescence. Large, elegant leaves - they grow to about 7 feet long - make it a pretty landscape choice. Plant in medium to full sun and feed heavily in spring and summer. In the winter, it appears to die. Don't water it, and make sure the rhizome is not covered by mulch (so it won't stay soggy after a rain). In the spring, it will return - just maybe as a large pink inflorescence.

Penny Carnathan

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