A neighbor put some large, healthy-looking clumps of butterfly ginger on the street. I took a clump home with me, and intend to plant it.

I feel like I should cut it way back to a foot or shorter, but I'm just guessing. Any advice?


Virginia

I always just stick it in the ground as is...unless it has already bloomed. Then there is no reason not to prune it down

Thank you. The stalks are 3-4 feet, and I do think they've mostly bloomed already. A few stalks had flowers still.

I haven't grown butterfly ginger before, but it clearly likes local conditions. I just didn't want to stress it too much after it spent hours uprooted by the roadside in the heat.

I'll try trimming a few back, and leave a few as is to see how that goes. If it were fall, I'd feel comfortable just chopping everything back, but in August, I had a few reservations about tough love...

I appreciate the reassurance,
Virginia

I have always found them to be pretty much indestructible. I have thrown rhizomes out into the compost and they come up, thrown them out into the bog and they come up, they are very easy to grow in a number of conditions

They looked like tough plants, but it's nice to have to get confirmation on that.

Thanks,
Virginia

I guess you are talking about Hedychium coronarium. Yeah, they are quite indestructible. In our zone I have to dig the bulbs out in late fall though. And I have to give away or throw excess rhizomes every couple of years. In Hawaii it is a certified state weed.

They are pretty invasive in my yard too LOL