What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 44: native wild ginger

Last spring in a native plant studies class we did some work with propagation and I came home with some tiny sprigs of native wild ginger. I tended them until they rooted and then planted them in the fall. I wasn’t sure these tiny bits would live through the winter, but they did - there are now three in the shade bed and they should multiply until there’s a much larger “patch.”

The leaves are lovely and so are the blooms (not sure I’ll see that this year, we’ll see).

More info:

Asarum 

Common Name(s):

• Wild Ginger

Phonetic Spelling

ah-SAIR-um

Description

The beauty of wild ginger lies in its heart-shaped leaves, which in some species are dark green, shiny and mottled with cream. The flowers are small, jug-shaped, lie on the ground and are pollinated by ants and ground beetles.  Prefers moist, rich soils and does well in shade.  They struggle a bit in the hot humid weather of the south.  Divide plants in the spring.  Leaves and roots smell like ginger when crushed but this plant is unrelated to culinary ginger.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.  Slugs and snails can damage foliage.  Rust can sometimes cause isssues.