Common Name: ginger lily
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Zingiberaceae
Zone: 8 to 11
Height: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 4.00 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal bloomer
Bloom Description: Pale orange
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Leaf: Colorful
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to wet, organically rich, well-draining loams in full sun to part shade. Requires consistent moisture during the growing season but will tolerate dryer conditions during the dormant winter season. Propagate by division. In colder climates, container grown plants can be moved indoors and kept as houseplants or allowed to go dormant and kept in a cool, frost-free area. The stalks must reach a mature size before flowering, so in climates with short growing seasons blooms might never be produced.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hedychium, commonly called ginger lily or butterfly ginger, is a genus of around 45-50 species of mainly terrestrial (some are epiphytic), rhizomatous, herbaceous perennials native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia as well as Madagascar. Dense spikes of flowers bloom at the terminal ends of upright, sturdy pseudostems (stem-like structure made up of tightly bundled leaf petioles). Many hybrids have been produced and are widely cultivated for their showy flowers. Most hybrid cultivars include H. coronarium, H. gardnerianum, and H. coccineum in their parentage.
Genus name comes from the Greek words hedys meaning sweet and chion meaning snow. The flower of one species is white and fragrant.
'Tahitian Flame' is a variegated, hybrid selection of ginger lily that features creamy white and green variegated foliage and spikes of fragrant, pale orange blooms. This cultivar was discovered as a branch mutation of Hedychium 'Doctor Moy', a hybrid resulting from a cross between H. flavum and H. coccineum. Mature clumps will reach around 5' tall and 4' wide with an upright, vase-shaped growth habit. The 6" long flowering spikes bloom seasonally. This plant is protected by patent number PP19921.
Problems
Shoot borer, snails, and slugs can be problematic. Mealybugs and spider mites are common on plants grown in greenhouses or indoors. Poorly drained, overly moist soils can lead to root rot particularly during the dormant winter period.
Uses
Suitable for use as an accent in tropical gardens, mixed borders, or large containers.