Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Cool!, 1 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
Hi Elaine, see the green fence in front of the gingers in the picture? That is a tomato cage, placed there to keep the stalks from falling over. They are also tied together with green plastic nursery tape, and there are bamboo stakes in the back. Last year, I left them, and since it doesn't freeze here, they stayed green all winter, but they did start to look ratty-looking by the spring. A few turned brown, and those got pruned off, and all the ratty ones got pruned off in the spring too. I did cut them to the ground after flowering this year, but I was told that I shouldn't do that because the rhizomes use the energy of the old stalks to help produce new ones. I'm going to need to get a few more tomato cages for next year.

Sherry, mine get big too. Most of them were 8-10 feet tall, and they reproduce quickly too. This link says Hedychium coronarium is hardy to Zone 8a so yours should be fine in the ground: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1297/index.html