The Easiest, Most Fragrant, Longest-lasting Cut Flower: White Ginger Lily
Anna Montgomery
A super performing, easy-to-grow perennial you may not know about is the white ginger lily or white garland lily because they are sometimes used to make leis in Hawaii. Don't be afraid of its exotic origins or the fragile look of its flower, white ginger is no shrinking violet. I have been growing this plant for over 15 years, and it produces the most fragrant, beautiful cut flowers of any plant I have ever grown.
Originally found in India, the white ginger lily has foliage that resembles corn stalks and grows three to seven feet tall.
The fragrance of the flowers is amazing--and since there are as many as 10 or more flowers on each stalk. Tip: let as many flowers open before cutting from the stalk.
Plant the rhizomes (that resemble culinary ginger) in good soil. They will multiply and tend to crowd out other plants so put them in a location where they can spread. My plants are in full, afternoon sun, but when I had them in morning sun they did well there too.
I keep my plants watered for best flowering since they are in full sun, but in a less sunny location, you could get away with less watering.
My huge patch of white ginger started with one plant 15 years ago. When the plants begin blooming for me in late July, I usually have cut flowers every few day until frost which is typically November here in East Tennessee.
I cut my ginger foliage back close to the ground just before our first hard freeze, and they come back each year stronger than ever. Tip: the stalks are harder to cut back after a hard freeze when they retain a good deal of moisture.
To propogate, simply dig up the rhizome, and replant it or share it with your gardening friends who will be most grateful!
White ginger lily can be invasive and will crowd out other plants in a flower bed, so plant it in a large area away from other plants.