Hedychium wardii

Description

Hedychium wardiii is really beautiful hardy ginger with large wonderfully fragrant bright yellow flowers unlike other gingers. Reaching up to 1.5 metres high this ginger is proving remarkably hardy and easy to grow rapidly forming clumps of arching stems each topped from late August with the large, up to 15cm long flower heads.  Hedychium wardii is hardy with us when planted in a sunny position in fertile free draining soil.

As with all Hedychiums we grow, once the foliage has been frosted we recommend cutting the stems back to 30cm then mulching the base of the plant with 10-15cm of a good organic compost such as well-rotted farmyard manure. In really cold areas I would do this in addition to perhaps adding a layer of straw and also something like an up-turned terracotta pot to keep the winter wet and penetrating cold away from the dormant rhizomes.

As with all hardy or temperate gingers they all make wonderful container plants. If you prefer, this can be a good alternative way to cultivate them as they can easily be moved in winter to a frost free location such as a shed or garage to prevent the roots from freezing. As with most fast growing exotic herbaceous plants, regular feeding is essential for maximum growth and flowering.  We recommend planting in rich, fertile composts either in the ground or container.  In addition to this, regular liquid feeds of a fertiliser such as seaweed extract will reward you with lush growth and hopefully abundant flowers from mid-summer onwards.

It should be noted that we like to sell all our hedychiums in containers, they are rooted plants with at least a seasons growth and will be established enough to produce flowers given good growing conditions the following year if not before. They are slightly more expensive than buying bare rhizomes but we feel this is a better option as most hedychium dislike root disturbance and take a while to recover. You will also be receiving a larger plant.

Depending on the time of year we may cut back foliage to facilitate shipping. This will only be done to late season growth and will not harm the plant in anyway

• Position:Full sun to part sun.
• Soil:Most soils.
• Eventual Size:  Up to 1. 5 metres.
• Habit:Upright, bushy.
• Foliage:Jungly.
• Common Names:Wardii Ginger.
• Flower colour:Bright yellow