Hedychium densiflorum

Hedychium densiflorum, is endemic to the Himalayan region where it grows at elevations of up to 2,800m on temperate wooded valley slopes and rocky banks in Nepal, Bhutan, the Indian states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and north into the Nyingchi and Bomi Xian regions of Eastern Tibet. It is a very hardy Ginger Lily and one of the best Hedychiums for the British garden - not just because of its tolerance of cold - but because it is one of the most reliable species to flower in the UK climate. Hedychiums tend to need extended period of warmth to produce their very wonderful flowers and by the time the British autumn arrives many of the lowland species are still producing foliage. Hedychium densiflorum however is a high altitude species and - along with the even more reliable Hedychium spicatum with which it shares much of its range - will usually produce flowerspikes towards the end of the summer if kept well-watered. It is a gorgeous and slender raceme, living up to its name with very tightly packed flowers, usually yellow to orange but somewhat variable.

Hedychium densiflorum, is a relatively small Ginger, its thin delicate pseudostems growing to about 1.3m in height, with foliage that is narrowish and elongated with long pointed leaf-tips. It produces masses of bulbous rhizomes which tend to sit above the ground, in time forming large clumps. The foliage is cut back by the frosts and the area around the roots should be kept well-mulched in winter. All root-growth showing above ground should be given an extra-generous covering long before any extended periods of sub-zero temperatures arrive. It is a resiliant species and because of its origins at such high altitudes it is capable of surviving a certain amount of neglect but hard frosts will destroy many of the bulbous rhizomes if not protected. Growth the following year - like most of the Ginger Lilies - is slow to get started with the rhizomes benefiting from the frost-protection that this extended period of dormancy provides. However, once the combination of warmth and water is met, the summer growth is rapid. In the wild it tends to grow in monsoon forests and shady forest margins where it receives protection both from the cold and from the sun. In the UK, a very light dappled shade in a warm south-facing spot is best with the foliage tending to scorch at the leaf ends if it is given too much direct sunlight.