Flowers on Friday

Ginger Lilies are striking perennials and highly prized for their exotic-looking foliage and brightly coloured flowers.  They will thrive in full sun or light shade where there is a reliable source of moisture in summer and will survive outside in warmer parts of the country if the crown is protected by a dry mulch. In colder areas bring indoors and keep dry throughout winter, or lift the rhizomes and store in a cool, dry place until spring when they can be replanted. They are commonly seen in the gardens of Cornwall where they can grow into very large clumps.

Hedychium gardnerianum Large cylindrical racemes of sweetly scented yellow flowers, each with protruding red stamens, put on a very showy display from midsummer. A vigorous species, the bold foliage will often have a slight blue tint.

Hedychium densiflorum Forming a slowly spreading clump of lustrous foliage, this compact ginger lily is one of the hardier forms. The slender spikes of fragrant, orange-red flowers appear early in the season and tend to open in one impressive flush.

Hedychium flavescens Tall stems are clothed in pointed, lance-shaped leaves, which can grow to 60cm long and have a softly hairy reverse. In late summer or early autumn these stems are crowned with clusters of spicily-scented, creamy-yellow flowers.