Growing hot gingers in Saskatchewan gardens

Ginger plants are trendy in gardens due to their dramatic leaves and flowers, but growing them in a dry climate can be a challenge.

Local gardening expert and authorLyndon Penner has hopped on the tropical gardening bandwagon and has been testing hot ginger plants to see what works best in the Canadian prairies.

• RELATED: #YouShouldGrowThis: goldenrod deserves your respect

Penner explained on CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning that while ginger is known more as a tropical plant, a number of ginger varieties come from southern parts of China, the Himalayas and cold parts of Japan.

"There are gingers and things in the ginger family that are potentially going to be hardyhere," Penner said.

Although many varieties of ginger can be eaten, it's the big leaves and uniquely shaped flowers that many people are interested in, Penner said.

"Generally anything with really big leaves,anything that's really exotic looking, anything that looks like it doesn't belong here that's really stylish right now," he said.

"Some of them look like beehives. Some of them look like upside-down ice cream cones. Some of them look like they have weird, bizarre flowers that do not look like flowers."

Growing tips

Penner recommendedexperimenting with different seeds, many of which can be purchased online. A greenhouse helps start the seeds off, and then it's a matter of where you position the plants.

"You have to be careful about where you position them because it's not the temperature that gets them, it's the dehydration," he said.

After placing the plant in a protected spot, the next most important thing is to make sure the plants get lots and lots of water.

"If you're going to go away for two weeks, you don't want to come home and find your big, fancy tropical ginger extra crispy."

Penner recommends trying a variety called roscoea ginger, which originated in a high altitude and does particularly well in Saskatchewan.

"They're little and cute and small and they like shade, and they have long, sort of elongated, sort of oval-shaped leaves. Distinctly tropical."