Siam Swing Ornamental Ginger

Siam Swing Ornamental Ginger (Curcuma alismatifolia 'Siam Swing') gives you tropical colour without a tropical sized plant. It sits at about 60cm tall and 40cm across, sending up slim stems topped with pink and purple bracts that hold their colour for weeks rather than days. It is deciduous, dying back to a dormant rhizome through the cool months and returning once the soil warms.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that lasts the season. The showy part is the bract, not the true flower, so a single stem stays bright for weeks.
• Small enough for a pot. At 60cm by 40cm it suits a 300mm pot, a courtyard grouping or the front row of a garden bed.
• Built for heat and humidity. It is at home in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, including the sticky end of summer when many perennials sulk.
• A genuine cut flower. Stems hold well in a vase, so a mass planting doubles as a picking patch.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. A single plant fills a 300mm pot, and three in a wider planter reads better than one. Containers also give you the option of moving it under cover for winter in cooler gardens.

Borders, edging and mass planting. Plant 30cm apart for a solid block of colour. At that spacing the stems knit into a continuous band without crowding each other out.

Feature planting. A drift in filtered shade beside a path or pool surround gives a seasonal focal point.

Growing Siam Swing Ornamental Ginger in Australia

Position and climate. Partial shade, or morning sun with afternoon protection, gives the best bract colour. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It is frost tender, so in cool temperate and frosty inland districts grow it in a pot that can be moved under cover.

Soil. Rich and free draining, with compost worked through the bed. It will not accept waterlogged soil while dormant, which is the most common way these are lost.

Water and feed. Water regularly through spring and summer while it is in leaf, and apply a balanced controlled release fertiliser as growth starts. Once the foliage yellows in autumn, stop watering and let the rhizome rest.

Pruning. None required. Cut spent flower stems at the base, then remove the yellowed leaves once the plant is dormant.

What to expect when it arrives

This ginger is grown in one size, tube stock, and demand through the flowering season can push it onto backorder. A tube is a young plant with a small rhizome and a few leaves, and it travels well because there is little top growth to damage.

Plant it out in spring or early summer. Expect leaves within a few weeks, and flowers in the first or second season depending on how warm your garden is. If it arrives dormant, that is normal for the time of year and not a fault. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to design a tropical garden that stays lush
• Browse the full tropical garden plant range
• Compare other plants suited to pots and containers
• Pair it with heliconias for taller tropical flowers

Common questions

Where did my plant go over winter?

Nowhere. It is deciduous and dies back to the rhizome as the weather cools, then reshoots when the soil warms in spring. Mark the spot so you do not dig it out, and keep the soil on the dry side while it rests.

How far apart should I plant it?

Thirty centimetres apart for a border or mass planting. That is close enough for the stems to read as one block of colour, and far enough for each clump to build up over a few seasons.

Will it survive frost?

Not in the open ground. It is frost tender, so cold southern and inland gardens should grow it in a pot that can be shifted under cover, or lift and store the rhizomes over the cold months.