08/30/2026
This is Salmon Ginger Lily (Hedychium coccineum), and those soft coral-salmon flowers are exactly the kind of thing that keeps me growing tropical plants in Indiana even when they require a little extra work.
One of the things I've always loved about gingers is how different the flowers can be from one species to another. This one has those beautiful, almost delicate-looking petals paired with long, dramatic stamens. Up close, there is so much more going on in the flower than you notice at first glance.
Of course, growing plants like this here means winter requires some planning. This ginger goes into my greenhouse for the cold months, where I can keep it protected until warm weather returns.
Is that more work than growing something completely hardy?
Absolutely.
But then it blooms.
And suddenly hauling tropical plants around, finding greenhouse space and keeping everything alive through an Indiana winter doesn't seem quite so ridiculous.
This is also why I enjoy pushing the boundaries of what we think we can grow in colder climates. Just because a plant can't survive an Indiana winter outdoors doesn't necessarily mean we can't grow it. Sometimes we simply have to change how we grow it.
And when the reward looks like this, I'm willing to make room.
Who else has a plant they haul indoors every winter because you simply refuse to give it up?
