Hedychium gardnerianum

Hedychium gardnerianum, Kahili Ginger, is probably the best-known of the gingers that are capable of being grown outdoors in the UK. It has a spectacular large inflorescence with soft yellow flowers with long apricot-orange filaments and an intense almost-overpowering fragrance. The foliage is lush and a paler softer green colour and a more ovate shape than most other gingers. It is very vigourous and given plenty of water and liquid feed during the growing season will grow upwards to 2m high. Whether it flowers for you or not will depend to a certain extent upon the heat and light levels during the early autumn when its buds start to form. A cold dull autumn will often mean flowering doesn't happen or the buds never fully develop. However, when it does oblige with flowers it is so rewarding you will happily forgive it.

Hedychium gardnerianum needs a rich fertile soil that is also well-drained so the rhizomes don't rot in winter. Given a generous thick mulch it is root-hardy in much of the UK.