Hedychium coronarium

RHS Plant Profile
white ginger lily

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white ginger lily John Fielding

Other common names

butterfly lily, fragrant garland flower, garland lily, Indian garland flower, white butterfly ginger lily, white ginger

Synonyms

Hedychium 'White Butterfly'
Hedychium consanguinum

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Herbaceous Perennial
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An upright perennial growing from rhizomes to a height of up to 3m. Leaves are mid-green, up to 60cm long, lance-shaped and come to a narrow point. The flowers are borne from mid to late summer and are white with yellow marks at their bases and very scented

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Sand, Loam

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Sand Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or East–facing or West–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

How to Grow

Cultivation

Outdoors, grow in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Shelter from cold winds and consider applying 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 such as John Innes No 3 and grow on in bright indirect light

Propagation

Propagate by seed at 21-24°C (70-75°F) as soon as ripe. Divide rhizomes in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Sub-tropical
  • Conservatory and greenhouse
  • 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