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Spice up your autumn garden with a little ginger

By JANE WEBER
Published November 20, 2006

Recent autumn rain and cooler weather make working in the garden a delightful pastime. While I like native plants, adapted to Florida's temperate to subtropical climate with dry winters and torrid wet summers, I also love colorful, easy-to-grow, exotic, perennial flowering plants.

The diverse ginger family, Zingiberaceae, contains about 1,300 species in eight genera commonly available in the nursery trade. Cooler, dry weather in Citrus County and the shorter days trigger many gingers to take a rest and loose their old leaves in winter. Other garden specimens will be killed back by our 10 to 20 frosty nights in Zone 9.

Buy these tuberous and rhizomatous plants as bare root stock during dormancy. Catalog rhizomes cost from $5 to $30 depending on the rarity of the particular species.

Growing plants of the most popular species range from $6 for a 6-inch pot to $40 for rarer. At about half the retail price you can purchase plants and rhizomes from local growers, like Jane's Garden, who divide large clumps.

Alpina gingers usually have elegant, fragrant leaves ranging from large to small. Native to Asia and Pacific islands, Alpinas have large clusters of showy blooms in summer. Frost-tender in winter, they need at least afternoon shade for protection from our hot summer sunshine, humus rich soil and irrigation to nourish the fleshy roots and large, thin, tropical-looking foliage.

The piquant Thai spice, 'Laos powder' is made from Alpina galanga and used to flavor curries. Shell ginger, A. zerumbet, blooms from spring through fall with drooping flowers, starting as waxy, ivory buds that open to reveal yellow lips with pink or red throats.

The genus Costus or spiral ginger has some 150 species from the wet tropics of Asia, West Africa and the Americas. A tall-growing species (over 6 feet) C. speciosus has gently curled, maroon-red, cane-like stems with short elliptical leaves noticeably spiraling up it.

Large, cone-like flower heads have tightly overlapped green bracts tinged red and white to pink flowers with yellow centers that open one or two at a time throughout the summer. Petals are silky and crape-like. Hummingbirds and butterflies relish the nectar. The variegated leaf cultivar is a favorite of mine.

Some 40 species in the Curcuma genus come from Asia and Northern Australia, where there is very seasonal rainfall similar to Florida. Bright orange rhizomes of Curcuma domestica can be harvested during dormancy to provide the mild spice turmeric used as a food coloring in place or more expensive saffron.

Clusters of broad, bright green, lance-shaped leaves can reach 3 feet tall in rich, moist soil in part shade. Use the pungent fresh or dried roots to add color and flavor to chutneys, pickles and curries. Some make long-lasting cut flowers in summer.

Globba contains about 70 aromatic Asian species that can grow in moist but sandier soil with less shade protection from hot afternoon sun. Many species are commonly called "Dancing Girls" due to the flower shape.

Butterfly ginger, Hedychium with 40 Asian species, has flamboyant, fragrant flowers from summer through fall. Native to higher mountain regions in the Himalayas, pure white H. coronarium and yellow centered H. c. chrysoleucum grow well here provided the soil is amended with compost and kept moist during the growing season.

As with all gingers, remove spent flower seems to promote further blooming. I particularly like cultivars of red ginger, H. coccineum, a narrow-leafed, low-clumping form with spectacular erect spikes of salmon to red flowers.

Fifty species of Kaempfera, or peacock gingers, hail from Asia and tropical Africa. There are some with variegated decorative leaves that grow 12 to 18 inches tall. They can be used as a ground cover in shade under broad-leaf evergreens such as live oak and magnolia trees.

Edible, shampoo, pine cone and beehive gingers are among some 100 Zingibers. I squeeze the bright red pine cone of shampoo ginger, Z. zerumbet as a natural hand lotion whenever I work among gingers in the garden. Ornamental gingers take a special position in any shady garden for their variegated texture, elegant form, exotic flowers and fragrance.

Editor's note: This weekly article is provided by Jane Weber, professional gardener, grower, consultant, designer and environmentalist. Visit her Certified Florida Yard and Backyard Wildlife Habitat, 5019 W Stargazer Lane, Dunnellon. Call (352) 465-0649.

[Last modified November 20, 2006, 06:29:39]