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Conservatory GreenhouseHerbaceous Perennial

Hedychium greenii

red ginger

A tender, clump-forming perennial with oblong, mid-green leaves up to 25cm long and bright red, butterfly-like flowers produced in summer in cylindrical spikes 12cm long

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Zingiberaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Suckering
Genus: Hedychium are rhizomatous perennials with erect, unbranched stems bearing two ranks of lance-shaped leaves, and dense terminal racemes of showy, often fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers
Name status: Correct
Plant range: E Himalaya to Assam

How to grow

Cultivation

Outdoors, grow in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Shelter from cold winds and consider apply a deep mulch of garden compost or leafmould to protect the rhizomes in frost-prone areas. Under glass, use a peat-free, loam-based compost and grow on in bright, indirect light

Propagation

Propagate by seed at 21-24°C as soon as ripe. Divide rhizomes in spring. Sometimes produces bulbils which can be sown when ripe

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Sub-tropical
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

No pruning required other than cutting back the foliage and old flower spikes at the end of the season

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and aphids under glass

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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