Variegated ginger is a bright evergreen perennial that adds splashes of vivid color to Orlando walkways and flowerbeds.
Ginger grows from rhizomes, tuber-like roots similar to those produced by the famous herb and medicinal plant. This variety has abundant glossy and sword-shaped leaves, up to 3 feet long and randomly patterned with alternating stripes of green and lemon yellow. Ginger has an upright growth habit, and it doesn’t need staking to maintain its lush and tropical appearance. Primarily grown for its colorful foliage, older plants may surprise you by occasionally putting out slender stems lined with delicate, softly scented shell-shaped blossoms.
Ginger can be planted in the landscape or used in containers both indoors and out. It does best in fertile or amended soils in partial sun or partial shade. In bright locations it requires regular watering to thrive and will visibly wilt when thirsty. Ginger does best in shady flowerbeds beneath eaves or larger plants where it can shelter from sweltering afternoon sun. After a year or two, ginger becomes increasingly drought tolerant and does well with very little care. This plant is resistant to most diseases and pests. Ginger will sometimes freeze to the ground when damaged by frost, but it returns in the spring with little ill effect.
Since it grows equally well inside or outdoors, ginger has many uses in both residential and commercial landscape design. It has a cheerful, welcoming presence when massed along walkways or in borders. In containers, it can add bright accents to screened porches, patios or sunrooms.
