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Conservatory Greenhouse

Alpinia purpurata

A tender perennial up to 4m high, with lance-shaped, slightly glossy green leaves to 80cm long. In summer, produces long, semi-upright flower spikes, with small white flowers surrounded by overlapping, bright red bracts

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–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)

H1A

Botanical details

Family: Zingiberaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Alpinia are evergreen, clump-forming perennials with ginger-scented rhizomes. Strong, slender, reed-like stems to 3m high support lance-shaped leaves and sprays of flowers with showy, colourful bracts
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow under glass with a minimum temperature of 16°C in winter, in peat-free, loam-based compost with added leaf mould and composted bark. Position in bright, filtered light, ideally in a border where growth will not be constricted. Water freely in the growing season and moderately in winter

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown at 20°C as soon as ripe, or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Sub-tropical
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Cut out flowered stems in spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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