A Mild December

This December's weather in central Florida has been glorious!  Cool, low humidity and best of all, not one hint of a freeze.

The shady tropical corner here at My Garden Path has been a very enjoyable spot in which to spend time.

The tropical gingers are holding up well and only a few of those that go dormant have started to turn yellow and go to sleep.  If we have a mild winter, all winter, the spiral gingers should bloom in the spring.

While freezing temperatures will knock back most of the foliage in this area, there are some hardier specimens that will anchor the bed such as the bird's nest fern, cast-iron plants and shefflera.

Whatever the rest of winter brings to my garden, I'm enjoying this time immensely.  Right now, this shady, tropical corner is making me smile.

Ginger Snap

Heat, humidity and heavy rainfall are the conditions that the gingers love.  That's just the kind of weather we've been having around My Garden Path and the many types of gingers grown here are thriving.

Hedychium 'Sherry Baby'

The butterfly gingers, bloomed a few weeks back.  Both the peach colored and the white are very heavily scented and fill up the back garden with sweet perfume.  The bloom cycle only lasts for two weeks and that makes it all the more special.

Hedychium coronarium

The pinecone gingers are doing very well down in the boggy area.  They are spreading happily and sending up those interesting blooms.  The blooms are actually small flowers that pop out of the "cone" when it is still green.  As the cones turn red I like to cut them to use in flower arrangements for the house.

Zingiber zerumbet

There is a creamy substance inside the cones that has a sweet smell and gives these gingers their other nickname, 'shampoo ginger.'

Costus barbatus

I'm so happy to see the Costus returning after being killed to the ground this winter. When winters are mild this ginger will stay green and then bloom in early spring. The blooms are tall red towers that last all summer. Even without the flowers, the velvety soft leaves and spiraling stems make this ginger a favorite of mine.

Alpinia zerumbet


The shell gingers bloom in the spring in heavy dripping bunches.  The solid green takes the sun well at the edge of the bog garden but it was hit hard this past winter with frost.  The variegated version loves the shade and wasn't fazed in the least by either of the past cold winters.  I have divided both of these gingers and spread them in front of the fence to give more background to the other plantings.

Alpinia zerumbet 'variegata'

Another ginger that I have divided and spread around all over the shady area is a beautiful 'hidden' ginger.  I divided and moved the clumps last fall.  This spring when I expected to see fuchsia blooms I was very disappointed.  No blooms on any of the plants this year.  I'm hoping they just need to get settled in after their move and that they will all bloom this coming spring.

Curcuma zedoaria

All the gingers in the garden have sweetly scented stems and rhizomes as well as beautiful blooms.  It's the leaves that I love though.  Some disappear for the winter, some stay right on through the cold season, but they all lend tropical flair to my summer garden.