Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 29 Jun 2019

Variegated Shell Ginger - Alpinia zerumbet

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I live in Deltona, Florida and hoping to find spreading ginger with interesting foliage to grow in a partially shaded area in my garden under a group of trees. Any suggestions?

A: Variegated ginger Alpinia zerumbet variegata is a clumping ginger valued for its beautiful variegated foliage. The dark, green leaves have striking yellow stripes. This ginger is sought-after, not only for the stunning foliage but also for its beautiful flowers. The flowers are different from other members of the ginger family and appear in drooping racemes from the ends of leafy stems rather than directly from the rhizomes. This ginger is also commonly known as Shell Ginger because the flowers resemble seashells! They are pink-tinged, fragrant and appear in summer. This evergreen perennial grows in upright clumps 3-5 feet tall. You may prune the plant to control size.
It does not tolerate drought or a hard freeze but can take a few hours or light frost (goes dormant in such case). In colder areas, rhizomes should be dug up and stored in a cool room during winter.
This ginger will love a shaded corner in your garden. Plant it in organically rich, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, and spread a thick layer of organic mulch around the plant for moisture retention. There are no serious insect or disease problems to worry about!
This ginger can be also be grown as a house plant as long as it has bright light and humid conditions. It will grow to around 3-4 feet tall as a houseplant.

Recommended fertilizers:

Broad Leaf Plus - Ginger-Heliconia-Banana Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Limited time special offer:
Instant $5 off Variegated Ginger - Alpinia zerumbet

Date: 9 Jun 2024

Would you like to spice Up Your Garden with Variegated Ginger?

Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata Variegated Ginger

Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata Variegated Ginger flower

Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata Variegated Ginger

Would you like to spice Up Your Garden with Variegated Ginger?

🌿 Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata is a clumping ginger valued for its beautiful variegated foliage. With its colorful foliage and beautiful flowers, variegated ginger is a stunning ornamental.
🌿 Striking Foliage: Glossy green leaves with white striping add a pop of color and interest to your garden.
🌿 Unique Flowers: Unlike other gingers, its beautiful, fragrant, shell-like flowers droop from leafy stems, adding summer charm.
🌿 Perfect Size: This small shrub grows 2-4 feet tall and can be pruned for size control.
🌿 Moisture Lover: Keep the soil moist for happy, thriving plants.
🌿 Ideal Conditions: Thrives in shaded garden corners with organically rich, well-drained soil. Mulch for best results.
🌿 Low Maintenance: No serious insect or disease problems, making it an easy addition to your garden.
🌿 Indoor Option: Can be grown as a houseplant with bright light and humid conditions, reaching 3-4 feet indoors.
🌿 Edibe: Like every ginger, this ornamental beauty also has edible rhizomes.

🛒 Shop Vriegated Ginger

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Food_Forest

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 12 Apr 2019

Dwarf Red Ginger - more than just a pretty face

Q: I've just recently moved to Florida from North Carolina. I don't know much about tropical plants. Can you perhaps suggest an easy and pretty flowering plant for a beginner which I can plant around my garden pond for a tropical feeling?

A: For adding that tropical look to your garden, few plants beat beautiful ginger! Alpinia purpurata, the Dwarf Red Cone Ginger with its bright red floral spikes and lush, lance-shaped foliage is no exception. This striking perennial will add a tropical effect to your garden that will definitely take your breath away.
The Dwarf Red Cone grows between 3 and 4 feet tall and blooms 8-9 months of the year! The blooms will hold on the plant for up to 3 weeks! It makes a very attractive and distinctive backdrop for other plants.
Red Cone Ginger likes partial shade and moist, humid conditions, but will tolerate full sun. It is fast growing, easy to grow and resistant to disease, heat, and insects. The plant is a wonderful accent in a garden and works well as a focal point specimen, show-stopping when planted around garden ponds or near entryways. This ginger also works very well in containers and planters. Either in mass plantings or smaller groups, all gingers add tropical flair which never disappoints.
In addition, the beautiful flower spikes make for great, long-lasting cut flowers and is an interesting addition to bouquets.
An added bonus? Dwarf Red Ginger is super easy to propagate. If stems are cut at the base and placed in water, they will generally root within a few weeks. Eventually, you can make a whole flowering hedge just from one plant!

Who does not like a plant that is non-fussy and not only beautiful but easy to grow? Dwarf Red Ginger is more than just a pretty face!

To keep this plant happy and blooming, give it some food: Broad Leaf Plus - Ginger-Heliconia-Banana Booster.

Date: 19 Jun 2024

Thumbs up the most fragrant ginger ever!

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

👍 Thumbs up the most fragrant ginger ever!

White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) is a must for every Southern garden.
Famous for its intense, sweet scent.
Symbol of Hawaiian Paradise along with Plumeria and Jasmine we mentioned earlier.
Lei and hair decoration: popular in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands for leis and hair adornments.
Butterfly-like flowers: bears fragrant, butterfly-resembling flowers in summer.
Great cut flower: long lasting cut flowers, ideal for scenting the home.
Can survive light freezes, with tops regrowing in the spring. Takes sun or shade.

🛒 Shop Butterfly Ginger

#Shade_Garden #Perfume_Plants

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 29 Jun 2024

Its not an orchid! But it looks like orchid:

Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe

💮 It's not an orchid! But it looks like orchid: Laos Silver Stripe

💋 Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe is one of the most beautiful of all the Kaempferia Peacock Ginger cultivars. It is one of the large types.
💋 The plant has boldly striped leaves of green and silver.
💋 The flowers are orchid shaped white and purple
💋 Small, compact perennial, great for container culture. Deciduous in winter, like many others from Ginger family.
💋 Shade lover, great as exotic houseplant.
💋 This hard to find variety is a must for every Ginger collector.

🛒 Order Laos Silver Stripe

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

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