Ginger plants range from your plants used for cooking such as galangal to your massive torch and beehive gingers which are grown mainly for their spectacular flowers. Most gingers have distinct foliage pattern where the leaves run all the way along the stems coming off at angles from each side of the stem.
Within the ginger family there are both Basal flowering plants where the flower grows out of the ground separate from the foliage stems (these include the torch gingers and some costus) and apical flowering plants where the flower appear at the end of the stem for example alpinias and some costus. They are great for landscaping and mix well with heliconias to create a different layers and plant structure within a landscape while maintaining that lush tropical feel.
Gingers enjoy tropical to sub tropical climates - growing very well all the way from Far North Queensland to the hinterlands around the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Brisbane. They will grow further South however flowering seasons tend to be shorter and you need to ensure the plants are well mulched during the cooler months to avoid frost affecting their root systems.
Alpinias are apical flowers where the usually vibrant flowers are located at the end of a stem which has lush green folage. Shell gingers are part of this family. What is often thought of as the flower is actually a bract that has smaller flowers coming out of it.
Alpinias flower well throughout the year and grow well in full sun to part shade. Typically the foliage will be taller and not as thick in the shade but sometimes during summer the flowers are more protected so can be more spectacular.
Candy has a flower very similar in shape to Jungle king but is a spectacular pink. The bract is condensed with a large number of "petals" tightly packed together. Getting up to 15-20 cm in length and round, the flowers are at the end of tall lush green stems. Great to create height in a garden, also work really well below a verandah or on a downward sloping bank where their height allows them to come up close.
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