(Hedychium coronarium) Butterfly Ginger

Who knew a tiny souvenier plant from Hawaii back in August 2010 would become a major tropical addition to my yard. It bloomed for the first time in 2012 and has bloomed every year since! Butterfly Gingers are marginally hardy here in zone 7b NYC. I have had some survive the winter in past years although I usually dig up the clump around Christmas time (after the first hard freeze but before the ground freezes) since my ginger have sentimental value from my trip and I don't want to lose them. I used to have a Hedychium "Tai Monarch" in the ground and it survived the winter until Hurricane Sandy hit (the fence in my yard fell down and when the fence was replaced, the concrete they added really damaged the soil chemistry in that part of the yard for a while).

Well here's some night pics. My Butterfly ginger is approaching 6 feet tall now!