Years ago I received a piece of ginger at a plant swap here in N.Texas. The man that helps me with our garden thought it was a root ?? Anyway he irradiated it. It bloomed white, lived on the south side of our home for at least a decade.
Any suggestions of what this was or how to replace it??
Thank You Karen

Why and how does a gardener "irradiate" something?

Do you have a picture of the foliage and the flowers? 'White Butterfly' ginger has white flowers and a wonderful fragrance. Bees and hummingbirds love them. But without pictures, there is no way to know whether this is what you had or not.

'White Butterfly Ginger'

Ken I'm still ill headed back to my dr. 3rd trip...something is not right. That word should have been eradicate... No pics but that looks similar.

I am sorry for your illness and hope you feel better soon. I will send you a T-Mail.

I am glad you were not irradiating your plants.

Hi Karen,
Like Ken said, it is undoubtedly White Butterfly Ginger. They are not hard to find- often if you put out the word, somebody will share some with you. If you go into a garden center, you might find an improved form called "Luna Moth". You will probably also see the word "Hedychium"- you will know you have the right plant then.

It is funny you mention a hybrid of the 'White Butterfly'. The first late-summer/early-fall that I had the 'White Butterfly' there were luna moths feeding on the nectar. The moths came out at dusk and stay around for a couple of hours after dark. The hummingbirds had all left, and at first I thought the moths were some sort of "new" hummer. The moths are about the same size as hummingbirds. Now the moths come every fall. They are interesting to watch, particularly since I have flood lights above one patch of 'White Butterfly' and the moths dart into and out of that light.

Do you have a picture of what the 'Luna Moth' looks like? What's the difference with this hybrid and the 'White Butterfly'?

Here's a link to the Luna Moth:

https://insects.tamu.edu/field...

Possibly, you saw a Sphinx moth. They look like a hummingbird and come out in the evening.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

I think they are the luna moth, but not certain. I will more closely observe them next fall, since that is the only time I am aware of them.

I often irritate my plants

Hummingbird moths more closely resemble hummingbirds more than luna moths do.

Hummingbirds move so rapidly that the human eye will think it is a night-flying hummer.

I have witnessed them during spring, summer, and fall.

They are attracted to night-blooming flowers, especially moonvine (ipomeia alba) and moon flower aka datura.

Hey Ken,
The cultivar "Luna Moth" is not so very different from "White Butterfly"... a bit less weedy looking, more stout leaves and flowers are more fleshy and full. When I order tissue cultured Ginger, most often this is the variety that is offered for White Butterfly type.
Yes, those Sphinx moths like mine too...along with my 4-o'clocks in the evening. A lot of the Sphinx moths we see here are the end result of Tomato Horn worms. Yuck, lol. I enjoy their activity I the garden. One night I took a flashlight out to the yard to run off some varmit that was marauding my freshly planted garden. I happened to hit the large patch of 4-o'clocks with my light and saw HUNDREDS of glow-in-the-dark eyes. Reflected light just like a cats!

Thanks for the info, Tim. Those glowing eyes must have really been something.