Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Ginger ID needed, 1 by birdlady_liz

birdlady_liz wrote:
DO NOT CUT BACK!!! Okay, now that I have that out of the way. Your plant is indeed a ginger, it is a Costus. Known in the trade as Costus spicatus, Indianhead ginger. This is a wonderful strong growing ginger that can truly be planted anywhere and it does well, full sun to full shade and it grows and blooms equally well. The blooms that poop out of the melon colored inflorescence are yummy. Just twist and pull and pop it in your mouth. I think they taste like sweet watermelon :) Costus bloom out of the top of the stem and if you cut them, blooms. This ginger is evergreen unless you had frost or freeze, but not to worry. It is an extremely cold hardy ginger. Have had ones sitting out with rhizomes exposed to 16 degrees and 11 hours below freezing. I mean, these weren't planted in the ground or even in a pot. they were laying out on a table fully exposed to the elements and came back, no problem. It is also a nice hummingbird plant.
Liz