Hedychium maximum

RHS Plant Profile

giant ginger lily

Herbaceous Perennial

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An upright, rhizomatous perennial to 2m with very large, broad, lance-shaped dark green foliage. Large, creamy-yellow flowers with orange throats and conspicuous long, orange stamens are fragrant both day and evening and appear from late summer through to October

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 5–10 years
Max Spread: 1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Zingiberaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Hedychium are rhizomatous perennials with erect, unbranched stems bearing two ranks of lance-shaped leaves, and dense terminal racemes of showy, often fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Asia

How to Grow

Cultivation

Outdoors, grow in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Shelter from cold winds and apply a deep mulch of garden compost or leafmould to protect the rhizomes in frost-prone areas. In containers or under glass, use a peat-free. loam-based compost and grow on in bright, indirect light

Propagation

Divide rhizomes in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required other than cutting back the foliage and old flower spikes at the end of the season

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and aphids under glass

Diseases

Generally disease-free