QUESTION:
I’ve seen this shrub in the botanic gardens labelled as Purple Ginger, but I’ve never seen it for sale. Do garden centres sell it? And is it fussy to grow?
ANSWER:
I love this plant and use it as a reappearing hedge in our garden. Its botanical name is Dichorisandra thyrsiflora. Native to Brazil, it prefers a warm spot but no afternoon sun, and it grows happily in full shade under trees. Ours gets morning sun and flowers every year. It’s not a ginger – it belongs to a different group with thick fleshy roots and water-storing ‘bulbs’. I prune ours to the ground in early summer, and within two months it regrows up to 2m with lush foliage and cobalt-blue flowers in autumn. Older hedges can be left unpruned if you prefer. Finding it for sale can be tricky. Online nurseries, collect or plant fairs or a friend who grows it are your best bet. The ‘Friends’ nursery at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney also stocks it.
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