Blue Ginger

Blue Ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) carries one of the very few genuinely blue flowers you can grow outdoors in a warm Australian garden. It forms an upright clump about 1.8m tall and 1m wide, with glossy spiralled leaves on cane like stems and deep violet blue flower spikes from late summer into autumn. Despite the name it is not a ginger, and it wants shade rather than sun.

Why you'll love it

• True blue, which is rare. Dense spikes of violet blue open at the top of each cane when most of the garden has finished.
• It performs in shade. Part shade suits it best, so it solves the awkward bed on the south side of a house.
• Upright without spreading far. At 1.8m tall and 1m wide it adds height to a narrow bed where a shrub would push into the path.
• Glossy foliage all year. Even out of flower, the spiralled leaves and dark stems earn their spot beside a pool.

Where it works best

Feature planting in shade. A single clump against a dark fence or beside a doorway reads as a proper specimen, particularly where the flowers catch late light.

Poolside. The foliage is clean, the habit upright and it drops very little, which is what a pool surround needs. Set clumps 70cm apart.

Mass planting and pots. At 70cm apart it builds into a full massed clump under trees. In a pot 400mm or wider it makes a striking patio plant.

Growing blue ginger in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade, with protection from hot afternoon sun that scorches the leaf edges. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it is frost tender. In cool temperate, inland and southern gardens grow it in a pot and move it under cover for winter.

Soil. Rich, free draining and high in organic matter, the way it grows on a rainforest floor. Dig compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep, clear of the canes.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the growing season, because this is not a drought plant. A monthly liquid feed through spring and summer keeps the canes tall and the spikes full.

Pruning. Cut spent canes to the base after flowering to make room for new ones. In a cold winter the clump can die back entirely, which looks alarming but is normal. Leave the crown alone and it reshoots.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock and 200mm plants in packs of six. Tube stock arrives as a small single cane and takes a season or two to build height, which makes it the sensible choice for mass planting a shaded bed. The 200mm plants are already clumping and usually flower in their first full season.

Soft canes and broad leaves mean this one travels less stoically than a woody shrub, so expect a bruised leaf or two. Cut damaged foliage off at the base and the plant moves on. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to design a tropical garden that stays lush
• Low maintenance planting for a pool surround
• Browse the tropical plant range
• Compare plants suited to poolside gardens

Common questions

Is it actually a ginger?

No. The name comes from the cane like stems and spiralled leaves, but it sits in a different plant family. There is no edible rhizome and none of the scent of a true ginger.

How much sun can it take?

Morning sun with afternoon protection is ideal. Full sun bleaches and burns the leaf margins in most Australian gardens, while deep shade produces thin canes with few flowers.

Will it survive frost?

It is frost tender. Light frost knocks the foliage back and a hard frost can kill the crown, so gardeners outside the tropics, subtropics and warmer temperate districts should pot it and shelter it.