Hardy Gingers

Book excerpt: Flamboyant members of the family "Zingiberaceae---including "Hedychium, Curcuma, Roscoea, and "Zingiber---are once again on the wanted list as people discover their intricately constructed flowers, beautiful perfumes, and lush foliage. Although the majority of gingers originate in the tropics, a substantial number come from temperate zones or high altitudes and are perfectly at home in the temperate garden. These hardy gingers are the primary subject of this book.In the wild, gingers fit a variety of ecological niches, and diversity is the key to their success in the garden. They make dramatic focal points in tropical-style plantings but can look equally impressive in traditional herbaceous borders, woodland settings, rock gardens, water gardens and containers. Branney charts the history of gingers from their nineteenth-century heyday through modern-day hybridization programmes to the latest introductions of new species. A comprehensive plant directory ranges wide in its coverage from the small, ground-hugging "Kaempferia, with their often gorgeously patterned foliage, to the alpine Roscoea, the richly evocative "Hedychium, the towering "Alpinia, and the tropical "Etlingera. Valuable cultivation advice includes techniques for breaking dormancy, maintaining soil nutrition, and understanding individual plants' hardiness requirements.Captivating photographs complement the descriptions and convey the distinctive charms of these irresistible plants. This book brims with new finds that will tempt newcomers, delight enthusiasts, and ensure hardy gingers a place in every twenty-first-century garden.