Hedychium coronarium

Hedychium coronarium, the White Ginger Lily or Butterfly Ginger Lily is a vigourous tall-growing ginger from the Himalayas. It has lush jungle-like lance-shaped foliage arranged in two ranks that is typical of its genus and can reach up to 2m in height. The white sweetly-fragrant flowers are large and protrude from the terminal conical bud in a highly exotic and very attractive inflorescence. It is however, not the easiest Hedychium to get to flower in the UK and needs to be encouraged with plenty of light, high summer heat, copious amounts of water and regular feeding throughout the growing season. It really needs long daylight hours to bloom and the seasonal variation of daylength in the temperate regions and the gradual shortening of the days means it struggles to flower. Inducing it into growth early will help to give it a longer season and a greater chance of flowering. If left to grow by its own steam it will - like alot of Hedychiums - only start reaching its flowering size just as the autumn sets in and the shortening day-length is working against it. You can kick-start its growth by growing it in large pots indoors or under glass and feeding it early. Use a nitrogen based feed to get in moving, then transplant it out to a rich soil once the frosts have passed and switch to a feed with more potash. Doing this will ensure that by mid-June you will already have a good-sized plant well-established. It may not, however, ensure that it flowers - but at least you've given it a fighting chance.

Um...there is just one further slight complication with growing Hedychium coronarium in the UK: that same strong sunlight that you hope will induce flowering will also tend to scorch the leaves. In the tropics, where the daylight lasts for twelve hours, the plants can afford the luxury of benefiting from partial shade. Here, its a tricky balancing act. Sometimes, it pays to be philosophical. My approach to Hedychiums - particularly species like Hedychium coronarium which are not so reliably flowering - is to give them all the help you can, get them moving early, enjoy their wonderful foliage but don't get too attached to flowering results. For more reliably-flowering Hedychiums, Hedychium spicatum and Hedychium densiflorum are recommended.

Hedychium coronarium is hardy enough to overwinter outdoors in the UK but should have a humus-rich soil with lots of organic matter for its roots to feed on while surrounding the rhizomes themselves in sharp sand for winter drainage. After the frosts brown the foliage, cut it down and apply a really thick protective mulch.

If you choose to grow this in a container it is best to use a large one. It has a robust growth habit and will rapidly exhaust the fertility of the mix. Feed regularly and if you can, site the container in standing water during the hottest summer periods before drying it out for its winter rest.