Kaempferia elegans ‘Silver Spot’

Silver Spot peacock ginger (Kaempferia elegans 'Silver Spot') is a shade groundcover that reads more like a tropical foliage plant than a ginger. It sits about 30cm tall and 40cm across, spreading slowly into a low carpet of rounded leaves marbled in silver and deep green, with small lilac and white flowers held low among the foliage through summer. Planted 30cm apart it closes over a shaded bed within a season or two.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that lifts deep shade. The silver marbling catches what little light reaches a shaded bed, so the planting reads bright instead of flat green.
• It stays genuinely low. At 30cm it never needs cutting back to keep a path clear, and it will not climb into the shrubs behind it.
• Comfortable in damp ground. It tolerates wet feet and humidity, which suits the shaded, slow draining corners where most groundcovers sulk.
• Almost no maintenance. Nothing to prune, nothing to stake. Clearing the spent foliage once a year is the whole job.

Where it works best

Shaded groundcover. Plant 30cm apart under established trees, along a shaded fence line or beneath a raised deck. At that spacing the leaves overlap and shade out weed seedlings.

Borders and edging. A single row at 30cm makes a soft low edge to a shaded path, holding interest where flowering plants will not perform.

Pots and indoors. It suits a wide shallow pot on a covered patio, and it grows well indoors in a bright room out of direct sun.

Growing Silver Spot peacock ginger in Australia

Position and climate. Give it partial to full shade, since direct afternoon sun bleaches the markings. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it is frost tender, so cooler districts want it in a pot that can shift under cover.

Soil. Rich, organic and moisture holding is ideal. Dig compost through the bed before planting, then mulch lightly, keeping it off the crowns.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the warm months, then ease right off once the foliage dies down. A slow release fertiliser as new shoots appear in spring is all it asks for.

Pruning and dormancy. There is nothing to prune. Outside the tropics the foliage dies back over winter and the rhizomes rest underground, reshooting in spring, so leave the clump undisturbed and keep the bed dry while it is bare.

What to expect when it arrives

We supply this ginger in 180mm pots, sold in packs of six, which is enough to plant roughly half a square metre at 30cm spacing. Plants arrive as established clumps carrying several leaves, ready to go straight into the ground or a container.

The foliage is soft, so expect a bruised leaf or two after transit; new leaves push through quickly and marked ones can be trimmed off at the base. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The best ground cover plants for shade
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Compare plants for partial shade
• How variegated foliage behaves differently

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

At 30cm spacing you need about eleven plants to a square metre. Two packs of six will cover a square metre of bed with one to spare.

Can I grow it indoors?

Yes, in a bright room away from direct sun, in a pot with a drainage hole. Indoors it often holds its leaves longer, though growth still slows through winter.

Will it spread out of control?

No. It creeps by short rhizomes at a gentle pace, so it fills a bed rather than escaping into the lawn. Lift and divide a clump every few years if you want more of it.