Plant tropical ornamental gingers

Ornamental gingers can transform your garden into a tropical oasis, and late summer is a good time to choose new varieties. They grow happily in frost-free gardens but will cope with some extra cold if protected through winter.

Alpinias are called shell gingers because their flower clusters look like shiny seashells. Beehive ginger (Zingiber spectabile, far right) is a common favourite, and its blooms look like those old-fashioned, round hives in story books. The showy flower parts are the long-lasting bracts that vary from yellow-green to red. Beehive ginger plants can grow more than 2m tall. They prefer shade and subtropical to tropical climates. Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora, above), while not a true ginger, creates a similar tropical effect and is great for frost-free gardens as far south as Sydney and Perth.

Plants should be available in garden centres now, or if you know someone who grows ornamental gingers, ask them for a division or a piece of rhizome. Keep your plants well watered in summer, and feed now with pelletised chicken manure. Trim off dead flowers and leaves to keep plants tidy. Watch for the borer caterpillar that can burrow into the stems. Cut off and destroy any affected sections and liquid-fertilise to encourage new growth. Reduce watering in cooler months and cut gingers back hard at the end of winter.