The Ginger Lily: Another sweet-smelling fall bloomer

Hot on the heels of the fragrant Tea Olive, the last featured plant, is another sweet-smelling fall bloomer, the Ginger Lily. Known botanically as Hedychium coronarium, Ginger lily is a tropical herbaceous perennial in the ginger family. Unlike its culinary relative Zingiber officinale, Ginger lily is grown primarily for its aesthetic characteristics in the landscape rather than its edible value.

Ginger lily typically grows to a height of 3-6 feet tall, with a width of 2-3 feet. Its lush foliage generates a tropical vibe in gardens where it is planted, and thus it pairs well with plants such as cannas, hardy bananas, and elephant ears. Ginger lilies do best when planted in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to dappled shade. Leaves are long and slender, and are arranged alternately on long thick stalks. Each stem almost resembles a corn stalk, and the sum total of multiple stems growing together in a clump produces a plant that it is roughly the size of a medium shrub, though composed of entirely herbaceous, non-woody parts.

Above: Leaves are arranged on long, thick stalks, forming a clump roughly the size of a medium shrub. Right: The Ginger Lily is sometime referred to as the Butterfly Ginger, a reference to how the flowers resemble a butterfly with its wings spread. Photo: L. Zane, CC BY-ND 4.0

In late summer through fall, ginger lilies begin to bloom, and it is during this time that they really draw the attention of gardeners. The individual florets emerge from a florescent spike, gradually opening from the bottom to the top, over a period of several weeks to several months. The individual floret may only last a day or two, but flowering continues with new florets emerging continuously through the bloom period. Flowers are attractive; they are both colorful and uniquely shaped. Standard bloom color is white, but many cultivars have colors ranging from yellow, to orange, pink, and red. Ginger lily is sometimes referred to as butterfly ginger, a reference to the flowers, which resemble a butterfly with its wings spread. In addition to their visual impact, ginger lilies are powerfully fragrant, producing a sweet, floral aroma frequently described as heavenly.

Though not typically grown for its culinary properties, the rhizomes are edible, and spicy, just like its cousin Zingiber, and can be used similarly in the kitchen. Ginger lilies can tolerate a bit of extra moisture on occasion during the warmer months of spring and summer, but dislike being wet during the colder months of the year, a characteristic shared with many other plants that grown from bulbs, rhizomes, or tubers, including the aforementioned elephant ear. They are perennial plants, hardy to zone 7a. However, if you can’t ensure an adequately drained soil during the winter, tubers can be dug up and stored indoors before being set in the ground outdoors the following spring. If doing so, store surrounded by a loose covering of peat or vermiculite in a cool, dark, and dry location.  

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.