given to the Gingers are for plant if it is planted four everyone! inches deeper than grown any gardeners in the Central in the pot. Florida area steer away from Give the gingers thinking they are too taller species M lots of room exotic and difficult to grow. While some gingers are cold sensitive and higher for they tend maintenance, there are many varieties to spread and that do well in this area with little or no form large care at all. Gingers need some shade, clumps. Keep moisture and room to grow and, with a them well little fertilizer now and then, they do well watered on their own. Their exotic blooms, many during dry Costus amazonicus heavy with perfumed fragrance, are a periods as delight in the garden. Many questions they are not are asked by visitors to Leu Gardens drought tolerant. Fertilize three to four and bears a bright red inflorescence with about our gingers and disappointment times a year with a general garden yellow flowers. The undersides of the sets in when it is learned they will not fertilizer. Ginger foliage in this area is leaves are softly fuzzy. Costus speciosus is grow up north. Common gingers can be tender to cold and the plant may freeze known as the ‘Crepe Ginger’ and it obtained at many of the garden stores in to the ground but will come back out grows four to six feet tall. It bears large the area but if they don’t carry specific quickly from the rhizomes. crinkly white flowers and there is a varieties try mail order nurseries like Gingers that will grow well in variegated form of the same plant with Stokes Tropicals or Gingerwood Nursery Central Florida: white marked leaves. Costus spicatus is Alpinia: Larger the ‘Orange Spiral Ginger’ and it grows evergreen gingers that five to six feet tall and bears a bright grow from four to ten orange flower. feet tall. Alpinia Curcuma: This group of gingers is zerumbert is one shell deciduous in winter. The foliage emerges ginger that does well in late spring. In some species, the flowers here. It flowers in the emerge before the foliage in the spring warmer months and while others bloom in the summer. the flowers are shell Curcumas grow two to four feet tall and pink with a bright red some have colorful markings on the and yellow interior. foliage. The flowers appear on stalks There is a variegated separate from the foliage. The flower form called ‘Variegata’ colors range from white to pink, red or with yellow striped purple. The common name for this Comukaempferia foliage. group is ‘Hidden Gingers’. ‘Jungle‘Jungle Gold’Gold’ Costus: An interesting Globba: These are known as ‘Dancing group of gingers as the Girl Gingers’. They are small in size who can usually provide them. (see next leaves are arranged spirally on the stems. usually one to three feet tall and are page) Be aware, however, that these may Most Costus bear brightly colored deciduous. Globba bulbifera is the yellow need some protection in the winter. cone-like flowers in the ends of the ‘Dancing Girl Ginger’ and it bears Plant gingers in moist organic soil in stems. Costus barbatus called the ‘Red pendulant yellow flowers. Globba wintii part to full shade. More support will be Tower Ginger’ grows four to six feet tall bears pendulant purple flowers but also has several cultivars that bear white or cultivars of various species pink flowers. and these gingers are Costus varzearum Hedychiums: This group is evergreen more readily available. and upright with stems that grow three to Kaempferia laotica has seven feet tall. Many bear very fragrant bright green leaves flowers. Hedychium coronarium is one of marked with silver and the most common gingers in Central black and bears white or Florida and is known as the ‘White purple flowers. Butterfly Ginger’. It grows four to six Kaempferia pulchra has feet tall and bears white extremely dark green leaves with fragrant flowers. Hedychium gardnerianum bronze or purplish feathery is known as ‘Kahili Ginger’ and will markings and it also bears grow three to five feet tall and bears small pink or purple bright yellow fragrant flowers. flowers. Kaempferia rotunda Hedychium coccineum is known as is one of the larger species ‘Scarlet Ginger’ and grows four to eight and can grow up to two feet tall with bright orange flowers. feet tall. The green leaves Kaempferia: A group of gingers have silver markings and known as ‘Peacock Gingers’ make great are dark purple under- groundcovers as they only grow one to neath. The plant bears two feet tall. Many have ornamentally white and purple flowers. marked foliage and make a good A related species to substitute for hosta in Central Florida. Kaempferia is They are deciduous and the leaves Cornukaempferia. The return in late spring. There are many most common one in cultivation is Cornukaempferia aurantiflora plant can grow five to six feet tall. There ‘Jungle Gold’. It has green and is a variegated form called ‘Darceyi’ with purplish bronze marked leaves attractive white striped leaves. and bears bright orange flowers Another plant that is not a ginger but during the summer. is grouped into the gingers because it is Zingiber: This a group with called ‘Blue Ginger’ is Dicorisandra reed-like stems and are thyrsiflora. The succulent stems grow deciduous in winter. Zingiber four to six feet tall and it bears bluish- officinale’s roots are the source purple flowers during the warmer of edibile ginger. It grows two months. Unlike gingers, this will grow to three feet tall and bears from stem cuttings. greenish-white flowers. – Helen BeVier & Eric Schmidt Zingiber zerumbet is called the ‘Shampoo’ or ‘Pinecone’ ginger. The flowers emerge in late Ginger Sources: summer on separate stalks Gingerwood Nursery, 5855 Bayou from the foliage and are green Paul Ro., St. Gabriel, LA 70776 at first turning to a bright www.gingerwood nursery.com red. They resemble pinecones Stokes Tropicals, 4806 Old Spanish and release a thick fragrant Trail, Jeanerette, LA 70544 juice when squeezed. This is Hedychium ‘Dr. Moy’ www.stokestropicals.com used in some shampoos. The

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