Ginger adds spice
The hardy Himalayan natives that will heat up your pots and borders
ONE of the stars of late summer in my garden is Cautleya spicata ‘Arun Flame’, a herbaceous perennial that forms a clump of waist-high, stout red shoots clothed in 2ft-long, heavily ribbed leaves. Its foliage alone would justify its presence, but this plant has an added extra… flower heads that resemble flaming torches.
The glossy, bright red flower spikes emerge from the tops of shoots between July and September. Over the course of several weeks, lots of two-lipped, orangeyellow flowers pop out of maroon bracts. These open in succession before withering, starting at the bottom and working their way up to the top of spikes.
Based on its exotic good looks, the unacquainted might assume this beauty is a tender so-and-so. Don’t be fooled. Discovered in 2002 on a plant-hunting expedition by Crug Farm Plants in Wales and Heronswood Nursery in the US, this native of Nepal can withstand a cold snap down to minus 15C.
My cautleya is among a number of species that are known as ornamental gingers. As their common name hints, they are closely related to culinary ginger (Zingiber officinale), a tropical plant with fairly unremarkable flowers that’s been cultivated since ancient times for its pungent, spicy-tasting roots.
Ornamental gingers are native largely to China, India and the Himalayas, where they can be found in habitats including light woodland, grassland and mountain areas, and plenty of them are happy outdoors in the UK, as long as the winter ground isn’t too cold and wet.
Among those offered by specialist nurseries and mail-order suppliers are varieties of roscoea, zingiber and alpinia. By far the largest group of ornament al gingers are hedychiums, whose cylindrical flower heads come in shades of white, yellow, orange, red and pink, often carrying a delightful perfume.
One of the toughest hedychiums is Forrest’s hardy ginger (Hedychium forrestii), a species with white flowers, giant 6ft stems and glossy, lance-shaped leaves.
Flowering- size, dormant rhi - zomes (long, knobbly underground stems that look like pieces of root ginger) of ornamental gingers are offered for sale in winter for planting in spring. In summer, nurseries offer ready-grown plants in pots that are on the verge of flowering – plant now for late-summer impact.
Ornamental gingers are happy in just about any type of soil as long as it’s fertile and fairly free-draining. If you have clay soil, it’s best to raising plants in containers that can be moved undercover or placed in the rain shadow of a wall. Their light requirements vary depending on species. For example, cautleyas will thrive in partial shade, while many hedychiums l i ke full sun. All prefer a sheltered position out of the wind.
They look good in herbaceous borders, Mediterranean gardens and exotic displays. In my garden, a group of cautleyas flourish under a tree, alongside Hakonechloa ‘ Sunflare’, Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’ and Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’.
If you have free-draining soil, hardy ornamental gingers can be left in the ground over winter. Cut back old stems in late autumn, then cover with a 3in mulch. Pin a bit of fleece over the top, removing in spring before growth starts.