Ornamental Gingers

Ornamental gingers are iconic, tropical that create an accent effect in any part of your garden. They are versatile plants that come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors and have spectacular bright flowers. That means they lend themselves to many different garden situations. Ornamental gingers are perfect for creating a layered effect in a garden bed because they range in height from about a foot to 20 feet tall. Most ornamental gingers will flower for about 5 to 6 months so they are great in the garden. All types of ornamental ginger are perennial plants. Their foliage is lush and green and some have long stems and thin leaves whereas others have large wide tropical-type leaves.

They are from the plant order Zingiberales and are the more glamorous relatives of edible ginger and bananas. They’re typically low-maintenance plants with attractive foliage and long-lasting, colorful blooms that make great cut flowers. These plants grow well in conditions from half shade to full sun. They prefer well drain soil but will also tolerate other kinds of soils as long as they’re a foot or more deep.

Ornamental ginger plants need constant warm temperatures and humid conditions to produce flowers. Another factor to consider when growing flowering ginger is the time it takes to flower. It can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years from planting rhizomes of flowering ginger until it blooms. Once blooming starts you will have a garden masterpiece. Ginger plants spread and emerge from rhizomes.

Taking care

Ornamental gingers will flourish with a bit of care. Most ginger plants thrive in filtered light, such as they experience when growing in a rainforest. Ginger plants growing in full sun may experience browning on foliage margins.

Ginger plants like organically rich, moist, well-draining soil with near-neutral to slightly acidic ph. Steady watering is good for overall plant health with the added benefit of producing the most beautiful flowers. A good layer of mulch will help keep their roots cool.

A monthly application of high nitrogen content fertilizer and annual application of fertilizer with  phosphorous and potassium is advised to increase blooms. Removing dead flowers and damaged foliage through pruning will keep your plant looking beautiful. Go all the way down to the ground level when cutting back.

Propagation

Propagating ornamental gingers is easy. Just cut rhizome in half with a knife and you’ve already got two plants. They can be planted into a pot or planted in the ground and will spread out more.

Types of Ornamental Ginger