Hedychium coccineum 'Disney'

Hedychium coccineum 'Disney' is a hardy ginger lily that brings the tropics to a temperate garden, sending up tall leafy canes each summer and crowning them, from late summer into fall, with bold spikes of fragrant orange flowers. Each bloom throws out long, whiskery stamens for a bottlebrush effect, and the whole spike carries a sweet perfume that drifts on warm evening air. 'Disney' is among the best and most upright selections of the scarlet ginger lily, holding the flower heads proudly above the foliage.

The lush, lance-shaped leaves clothe upright canes to five or seven feet through the growing season, a wall of tropical green that makes a fine backdrop or a bold accent all on its own. The scarlet ginger lily hails from the Himalayas, and that mountain origin is exactly what makes 'Disney' hardier than most gingers, able to weather winters that would finish a tender one. Butterflies and hummingbirds work the orange flowers through the late season.

Grow 'Disney' from spreading rhizomes in full sun to part shade, in rich, moist, well-drained soil, and give plenty of heat and water through the summer for the fullest growth and bloom. In all but the warmest gardens the canes die to the ground with the first hard frost and resprout from the rhizomes in spring, so cut the spent stems down after frost and mulch the roots where winters are cold. Where the plant is happy, the clump widens a little each year.

Use Hedychium coccineum 'Disney' where the size and scent can be enjoyed, at the back of a sunny border, beside a patio or pool, or in a big container, paired with cannas, bananas, and other bold tropicals. The fragrant orange spikes are magnets for butterflies and hummingbirds, and the whole planting reads as pure exotic luxury on a plant tough enough to come back year after year. For a hardy taste of the tropics, few gingers do it better.