Hedychium spicatum ‘Shirui Steps'

Ginger Lily Zingiberaceae

A particularly evocative form of the variable Hedychium spicatum, this is our collection from Shirui in Manipur, India, named ‘Shirui Steps’ because it was found growing along the initial steps of the path leading up Shirui Mountain. A plant with both provenance and a story—always preferable to a mysterious ginger lily with a handwritten label and an adventurous imagination.

It forms upright clumps of handsome, broad, dark green foliage, followed in late summer by dense spikes of fragrant white flowers, flushed with pink and orange around the throat. The flowers are wonderfully aromatic, particularly towards evening, when the scent becomes an especially welcome addition to the late-summer garden.

The species occurs naturally across the Himalaya and northeastern India, including Manipur, generally in moist, humus-rich woodland and montane habitats. In cultivation it appreciates fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Give it shelter from drying winds and a generous winter mulch, and it makes an impressive, reliably perennial clump.

The collection provenance makes this particularly interesting for growers interested in botanically documented forms of Hedychium, rather than plants whose origins have become lost somewhere between a seed packet and a nursery label.

Height: 1–1.5m
Spread: 40–60cm
Flowering: Late summer–autumn
Hardiness: H4, −10 to −5°C

Collection: Shirui, Manipur, India. The name ‘Shirui Steps’ refers specifically to its original location growing beside the initial steps of the route ascending Shirui Mountain.