Thursday, October 16, 2014

Zingiber malaysianum 'Midnight' is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

The last week or so I've gotten up close and personal with most of my container plants. As the rains reappear it's time to move the agaves, cactus and other succulents under cover. I don't really have to pay attention to the non-hardy but moisture-loving things for a few weeks (overnight temps are still in the 50's) but in the process some of them have been moved. That's what had me focusing on Zingiber malaysianum 'Midnight'...

Being a sucker for dark foliage how could I not love this plant?

I was quite surprised at how much it's grown over the summer, turns out a vacation outdoors does us all good. The below photo is from last June and the foliage is still this dark, it's just a trick of the light (and camera) that has it looking redder.

This photo however, it shows what too much sun can do. This is a much smaller plant I picked up one day on a whim. Red not black, ugh!

The stats ...
  • as you can see from the photo above this plant prefers part shade...NOT full sun
  • hardy outdoors in USDA Zones 9-10, likes even moisture 
  • can reach 2 - 3 ft tall and 1 - 2 ft wide
  • blooms are said to be pink/yellow and resemble cones
  • one of our plant lust sources says "leaves have the fragrance of ginger" and after having abused a couple of leaves on my plant I can confirm this is true!
And now my plant is indoors, that whole "not hardy" thing is such a bummer!

I thought with this post I'd go ahead and link up with Pam (at Digging) for Foliage Follow-up, a meme which she hosts the day after Bloomday every month - after all the foliage is what it's all about with this plant. Is there anything in your garden that's looking especially grand in mid October, bonus points if it's about the foliage...

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

32 comments:

  1. It's a pretty good indoor plant, too -- I had one inside for a little over four years, and for about three of those four it was doing a lot better than expected.

    It kind of just went pffffft on me for no clear reason in the fourth, and I haven't seen them for sale around here again, so I haven't re-tried it, but I'm still a fan.

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    1. Indeed, being inside last winter didn't seem to bother it at all, even with very low light. Of course it does require water, something I tend to forget about due to my other refugees preferring to stay dry.

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  2. I love the darker foliage plants. That's neat that it smells like ginger!

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    1. When I read that I thought "no way!"...but it does!

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  3. Beautiful plant! Weird that I saw the name "Zingiber" and my brain equated that to "ginger" -- how did I remember that, as I've never grown any gingers?

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    1. Maybe because it just sounds like ginger? At least to me, when I say it out loud. Then again maybe I'm pronouncing it wrong.

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  4. That is one seriously beautiful plant. I'd love to get my hands on one of those. Fabulous

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    1. I can see one fitting into your potted collection quite well Deanne. But weren't you supposed to be downsizing?

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  5. So pretty with the spangle of raindrops. I know, I know...bittersweet beauty.

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    1. And I was regretting not getting a nice dry photo...

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  6. What a beautiful plant. I'd be tempted if my greenhouse wasn't already filling up fast. I love the dark foliage. I'd even take it in red.

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    1. It's a great winter houseplant, no greenhouse space required!

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  7. Well deserved feature, this plant caught my eye when we were in your garden Loree. It may not be hardy but at least it's not hopelessly tender as what it's common name sometimes suggests (the Malaysian bit).

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    1. So true, it can take much colder temps than we'd think just looking at it (and reading it's name). Not that I'm going to push it...

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  8. Replies
    1. P.S. My favorite plant this week isn't a plant. http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2014/10/my-favorite-thing-in-my-garden-this.html

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  9. Zingiber malaysianum is nice and all, but where did you get that lovely door matt? I happen to on the hunt for one.

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  10. I don't know the Zingiber genus at all but I like the plant (except for the fact that it likes lots of water). I thought I might get around to a separate favorites post but that's not going to happen this week so I'll declare Agave desmettiana 'Variegata,' as featured in my foliage follow-up post, my favorite. It really is! I couldn't get over the number of pups I got from my 3-gallon purchase at what is, locally, a rock-bottom price.

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    1. I am very excited to read this foliage follow up!

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  11. Thumbs up for Zingiber - such rich dark foliage. I hate this time of year when the process of dismantling the garden begins, and they all start jostling for position indoors. Luckily, as you say, the weather is being kind to us at the moment, so I have only brought my holidaying house plants, and succulents, inside. The rest can breathe freely outdoors for a little longer ...

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    1. I enjoyed a nice sunny warm afternoon in the garden yesterday. The weather gives and takes...

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  12. Great foliage plant! It has grown a lot!! I love how they enjoy being outside.

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  13. Even though I think it looks best where the foliage is really black (combined with the bright green stems, very nice), the red one is still good too! Not a fan?
    Here's my favourite this week

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    1. It looks kind of washed out to me, faded. We'll see what lower light levels do it...

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  14. I love midnight ginger! Your bigger one looks so healthy! And the smaller one should darken up just fine. Give it time. I had one but it was one of a disturbing number of plants that fell victim to the wet heat during my time in North Carolina. I loved the smell of the foliage.

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    1. It's so odd to me that I never noticed the foliage smell until I went looking for it. Ah well, better late than never. Thanks for the tip on the small one, I won't give up on it.

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  15. That's a gorgeous plant! It sounds like it might be a good houseplant for those of us in the north. I like the way the new leaves and stems start forming at the ends. We're at peak or just beyond here in my neightborhood, so it looks like the landscape is one fire. Fabulous time of year. :)

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    1. Still waiting to see much fall color around here...

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  16. Like Alan, I thought it was a ginger at first too. The leaves kind of look like ginger leaves, don't you think? That dark, chocolate color is really fetching. I wish we could grow drama queens like these in Austin, but our Death Star has us going for silvers instead. Thanks for linking into Foliage Follow-Up!

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