Gingers are generally easy to propagate through clump division. Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) is a huge plant with big spikes of blue flowers atop a tall tower of foliage. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the source of the ginger root used in cooking. Surface sow the seed and cover with a thin layer of perlite. The best cooking ginger is Zingiber officinale and you just lift up the root (a type of rhizome), split it into pieces and replant it. Both of these plants are easy to grow and tolerant of the conditions inside most homes. The green shoots or leaf stems are leaf sheaths that wrap around each other. The variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet variegata) is one of the more sensational looking gingers. While obviously ginger is a must for any tropical garden, because it thrives in warm and humid conditions, it can also add height and volume to a circular garden bed in the middle of a lawn, or as a stunning screen in front of windows where you want privacy but some light as well. It produces tiny white, shell-like flowers that turn into blue berries. How to Propagate Ginger. Indoors, use a liquid houseplant fertilizer designed for flowering plants according to the package directions. Varieties. “Ginger is a root crop. Ginger is grown from rhizomes, or enlarged roots, regardless of the variety. A warm-climate plant, variegated ginger is suitable for planting in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 to 11. Alpinia caeulea is an Australian native that grows more than two metres tall and has long slender leaves that weigh down on the stems and make them curve over. Choose your ginger plant. Ginger may also be referred to as true ginger, stem ginger, garden ginger or root ginger and it is believed to have originated in the Southeast Asia. Gingers are grown from an underground rhizome. Buy organic ginger if you can. Edible ginger is grown for its ornamental features, as well as for its edible roots, or rhizomes, while ornamental ginger is prized for its colorful floral bracts. Choose a pot at least 300 mm wide and deep. Most gingers are native to Asia, where it has been used a food staple for thousands of years. Blue Hawaiian Ginger. They make neat garden plants in tropical areas or gorgeous houseplants for those of us that experience cold winters. Blue gingers belong to the same family as wandering Jews and spiderworts. Turmeric is another herbaceous perennial. Side-dress (mulch) around plants with well composted manure such as cow every spring. 1.5 to 2m Full sun to part shade A great landscaping plant with stunning variegated foliage and showy white flowers produced from red cones. Growing Ginger Plants that Flower Ornamental, or flowering, gingers are different from the edible variety. There’s even a chocolate coloured variety. Its cream, pink and yellow flowers hang through the foliage on long, pink racemes in spring. Her passion for gardening began in her mother’s huge vegetable patch and orchard in the country and now extends to the challenge of city plots, where the constraints are countered by the delights. These plants need a little fertilizer, but the edges of the leaves turn brown if they get too much, so use a light hand. They had spiral gingers and butterfly gingers, shampoo gingers and blue gingers… it was a cornucopia of wonderful gingers. Some ginger rhizomes sold for food use may be treated with a growth retardant to prohibit sprouting. Most people are familiar with edible ginger (Zingiber officinale), but it is only one of hundreds of members of the Zingiberaceae, or ginger family. Give the plant full sun or partial shade, keeping in mind that the blooms last longer if they have shade at least part of the day. Find out more about these lovely plants in this article. Indoors, water the pot thoroughly, letting excess moisture drain from the bottom of the pot. With so many uses, it’s only natural the ginger plant is big, bold and beautiful, with long, long leaves, many with a different colour underside, and some of the flowers are simply stunning. Both the roots and berries were used in Indigenous cooking. Feed your plant annually with a controlled-release fertiliser —ideally, one fortified with organics. Spice up your garden, literally, with ginger. Zingibers are usually grown from rhizomes - the main part of the roots. Ornamental Gingers and Edible Gingers. Colin says, "Ornamental gingers are colourful, versatile and just downright beautiful. Hot and spicy to taste, although not as strong as chilli, its health properties include working to stimulate the heart, settle the stomach, and as a treatment for morning sickness and other types of nausea. This group of plants is perfect if you are trying to achieve that lush, green look in a tropical or Asian-style garden. They are easy to care for, too. Water it well and place it inside a plastic bag, sealing the top with a tie. HARVEST fresh ginger in late summer and early autumn or, if drying, dig up about 10 months after planting. This is a broad group including plants of the families Heliconiaceae, Costaceae and Zingiberaceae. Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) is not a true ginger, but it has ginger-like, arching stems and vibrant, purple/blue flowers in autumn. As you have guessed, the beehive ginger flowers bear a resemblance to a beehive shape. When I worked in a plant nursery owned by some good friends of mine, I got to meet a lot of beautiful gingers. The leaves are a much smaller than ornamental gingers and not nearly as flamboyant. To grow ginger from home, you simply begin by picking up ginger root from a grocery store. They’re rhizomatous plants, growing from subterranean stems that look very similar to the ginger ‘root’ you’d buy in a supermarket. In Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 and 10, you can grow blue ginger outdoors. A good landscaping plant. Ornamental gingers belong to a large plant family and include many showy flowering plants that range in color from white to red. They can be planted into a pot or planted in the ground and will spread out more. Zingiber is a plant that grows up to 2.5m tall. Plant the stem in rooting medium so that the node where the bottom leaf was attached is under the medium. Empty the saucer to make sure the roots aren’t sitting in water. Edible members of this family include ginger, cardamom, turmeric and galangal, but here we introduce the flowering ones, which offer so much more than a tropical splash of lush green foliage. One of the most stunning looking and attractive ornamental flowers you can grow to spruce up your garden is the Beehive ginger. Jenny Dillon is the garden editor of Better Homes and Gardens. In the spring you should repot your plant. 25 Jun. Cut them back hard at the end of their flowering season to give the plants a rest. Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price! This encourages the ginger to form rhizomes. You should remember to keep the newly potted plants somewhere warm and humid until the new growth emerges. Try to give the plants a minimum indoor temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 C.). The ornamental ‘butterfly’ gingers, in latin Hedychium (heh-DIK-ee-um), belong to the Zingiberaceae family which also includes Zingiber officinale, the culinary ginger. The leaves are a much smaller than … Zingiber likes to be partly shaded and in well-drained soil. Preferred climate and soil. Variegated ginger, which grows from underground rhizomes that look much like ginger root, is propagated by dividing the rhizomes of mature plants. Moth Ginger. Blue Hawaiian ginger root is an edible type of ginger that has a blueish tinge … Ginger is a tropical, herbaceous perennial, and flowering plant, with horizontally grown rhizomes producing shoots and roots. Other Names: Pinecone Ginger, Itter Ginger, Broad-leaved Ginger, Martinique Ginger,… Unfortunately, these were all “ornamental” types. MULCH to keep weeds at bay, retain moisture in the soil and provide protection from the cold for ginger plants left in the ground over winter. The plants can be quite expensive, but propagating blue ginger is easy. The ginger rhizomes are thick and coarse with yellowish-brown outer skin. It's a little bit bigger than ginger, growing to about waist height, the flowers are beautiful and it's ideal for an ornamental garden. Ornamental gingers have a number of different species, and vary widely in size and growth habit. Outdoors, use 15-15-15 fertilizer every couple of months during the growing season. How to grow ornamental ginger in a pot. It’s smaller than most, growing to about 1.5 metres tall and about 2 metres wide. The long and narrow leaves are the same color as the leaf stems and grow in an alternate pattern. Let the soil dry between waterings. Eyes that have started to turn green are ideal, but not required. Hedychiums are relatively easy to propagate via seed. Ornamental ginger plants can be a great way to add attractive and exotic color, foliage, and blooms to your garden. Remove the bag when the new plant shows signs of growth. Flowering heads are borne on shorter stems and the plant produces cone shaped, pale yellow flowers . For edible purposes, the most common species of ginger is known as Zingiber officinal, although there are many others including ornamental flowering plants that can be found in store however these are inedible species and better suited for adding decoration to your home. Reduce the water, even let the ground dry out. Red Torch Ginger Propagation. Just break off the pieces and then plant them for another year's crop. These plants love indoor environments. Fill chosen pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. But it’s the leaves – long and quite broad for a ginger – the yellow and green variegation have a striking effect in your garden throughout the year. Position in full sun or semi shade. Ornamental Curcuma Gingers provide a taste of the tropics during summer months with their lush green foliage and vibrant flowers. Propagating ornamental gingers is easy. Keep your … Plant the stem in rooting medium so that the node where the bottom leaf was attached is under the medium. And it tastes great in stir-fries, curries and desserts. Most gingers are native to Asia, where it has been used a food staple for thousands of years. They don’t mind dry air or dim light. 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Blue ginger produces flowers that can last for months, and they continue to produce new flowers year round. Singapore gold is grown in the NT. This exotic Brazilian perennial is the perfect plant for moist, shady spots in the garden and looks particularly good teamed with tree ferns and palms. Towards the end of summer/wet season, as the weather starts cooling down, your ginger will start to die back. Place the pots in a warm location and cover with clear plastic to keep in moisture and heat. It has beautiful lush green leaves, and very pretty pink and cream, shell-like flowers. Sign up for our newsletter. Red torch ginger, also known as Etlingera elatior, adds a colorful touch of the tropics to yards and ornamental gardens. All are very easy to grow indoors. Groups of flowers are beehive shaped and can be yellow, orange or red. Ginger is surprisingly easy-care when given the right growing conditions. Just cut rhizome in half with a knife and you've already got two plants. Beehive Ginger Growing And Caring Tips For A Special Tropical Creation. You can also divide pl… Propagation. Posted on June 25, 2019 September 17, 2019 by Aimee Petel. The best cooking ginger is Zingiber officinale and you just lift up the root (a type of rhizome), split it into pieces and replant it. Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Whether they go in beds or in containers, these plants offer diversity without a lot of maintenance. A rhizome is an underground stem, similar to a root or bulb, that multiplies each year as the plant grows. Costus 'Belize Yellow' From $14.50. The seed should be sown immediately and grown indoors where they may take several months to germinate. Many are used in the garden rather than the kitchen, and these are called ornamental gingers. Deciduous in cool climates. Cut tips of stems with three leaves attached. 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