S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Hedychium Coccinuem Disney
in the Northeast Florida Jacksonville | St. Augustine area Landscape
( Hedychium Coccineum ‘Disney’ )
Hedychium Coccineum Disney Origins:
– Natives of Asian forested areas. Hedychium gingers have long been
a personal garden favorite of mine for the Northeast Florida area. They are almost maintenance free garden plants that quickly transform even the dullest of garden spaces into tropical delights.
– Hedychium coccineum Ginger is sometimes referred to as Scarlet
Ginger or Red Ginger. Disney is a hybrid that has extremely showy blooms and is grown for its large flowers that are an orange to red color and adorn the top of the upright foliage stalks during summer. Excellent hardy ginger selection for Jacksonville and St. Augustine area gardens.
Sun Exposure of Hedychium Coccineum ‘Disney’:
– Plant Disney ginger in a full sun to a fully shaded location in the
Northeast Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape.
– Hedychium ginger does well in a sunnier location as long as it is planted
into a moist garden site. If your garden is extremely sandy and dry consider planting it in a location that will receive some relief from Northeast Florida’s hot sun.
Foliage of the Hedychium Ginger ‘Disney’:
– Upright stalks of bright green foliage are attractive fillers in garden
spaces and even cut indoor arrangements although the blooms themselves will not hold once cut from the plant.
– Foliage may remain evergreen during the winter in our northeast Florida area gardens, but can go dormant and come back rapidly the following spring depending on winter conditions and exposure. Disney is cold hardy down to zone 7!
– Gingers are a rhizomatous perennial plant, that is they grow and spread from underground rhizomes ( thick stem like roots, very similar to the more familiar Iris family of plants ) and form clumps of foliage.
Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of the Hedychium Ginger Disney:
– Hedychium Ginger is tolerant of a wide range of soil components and growing conditions, although they will be most at home with adequate moisture. Rich, fertile soils will allow these plants to thrive and quickly form a mature clump.
– Salt tolerance unknown although as a whole hedychiums are suggested as a
good plant for the beach by the “Southern Living Garden Book”. That is the only place I have found any reference to any kind of salt tolerance, so it makes me think not, and I have not tried it myself. Let me know if you have tried it!
Size Variance of Hedychium Ginger Disney:
– The foliage on the Pink V Ginger plant will reach 5-7 ft high and 4-5 ft
wide.
Growth Habit of the Hedychium Ginger Disney:
– Clumping perennial rhizomes forms an attractive, upright mound of tropical foliage that stands erect and gently arches at its edges and under the weight of the late summer to fall blooms.
Growth Rate of the Hedychium Ginger Disney:
– Fast growing Ginger selection will reach maturity in an ideal garden location in its second season in the ground, if your ginger plant is not taking off after its first year in the ground consider amending the area generously with compost and adding supplemental irrigation weekly or bi weekly.
Blooms of the Hedychium Ginger Disney:
– One of the showiest blooming hedychium ginger selections, Disney has large orange to red blooms during summer.
Hedychium Ginger Disney Water Requirements:
– Although much more durable once established in the landscape, regular water is necessary to get the plant rooted and growing on its own after being planted in the ground from an S & J Nursery container. Use supplemental irrigation when planted in drier soil situations.
Best Uses For Hedychium Ginger Disney in the Jacksonville | St. Augustine Area
Landscapes :
– Disney ginger is a great easy care low maintenance addition to just
about any landscape.
– Plant them as the backdrop to a mixed perennial border for added tropical
appeal.
– Plant height lends itself to covering unsightly garden sheds fences or pool
pump areas etc. I love to use Hedychium Gingers in front of those unsightly wooden fence panels, they almost instantly transform your property border from harsh and dull to a beautiful backdrop to any garden setting.
Care of Hedychium Coccineum Disney:
– Low care landscape pant selection in rich soils. Amend soil generously with compost or something to help the soil hold on to water like composted cow manure or Milorganite when planting for best results.
– Water every day during the establishment period after planting in the garden from an S & J Nursery container.
– Ginger plants will need not only good water during the establishment period and supplemental irrigation during dry spells or particularly hot dry summers, especially when planted into sandier soils.
– Fertilize each spring with a shovel full of good garden compost or a mixture of Milorganite or Green Edge Fertilizer and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food or 10-10-10.