Hedychium flavescens
yellow ginger lily
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: rich, moist soil
- Rate of growth: quite fast
- Flowering period: July to August
- Hardiness: frost hardy (may need winter protection)
Tall stems are clothed in pointed, lance-shaped leaves, which can grow to 60cm long and have a softly hairy reverse. In late summer or early autumn these stems are crowned with clusters of spicily-scented, creamy-yellow flowers. - Garden care: Plant the rhizomes into pots using a good soil-based compost such as John Innes No2. The rhizome should be placed horizontally just below the surface of the soil with the small reddish-coloured buds facing upwards. Water well and then grow on under glass until all risk of frost has passed. Alternatively, store the rhizomes in a cool, frost-free place (such as a garage, shed or unheated porch) until they can be planted straight out in the garden. Keep well watered during the summer, but dry during winter. The rhizomes should be covered in the autumn with a deep, dry mulch, or brought inside and kept in a frost-free spot until the spring when they can be planted outside again.
- CAUTION do not eat ornamental bulbs