Cautleya

A small genus of only two species hailing from the eastern Himalayas, China, and Vietnam. Very unusual for members of this family, the cautleyas favor cool, moist forests at very high elevations. They are hardy to at least zone 5 and possibly zone 4 in the right spot. They can be overwintered in a cool greenhouse or treated like dahlias with the rhizomes dug up and stored.

They are entirely herbaceous, dying back in the autumn and regrowing again in the spring. Cautleya lutea (C. gracilis) grows 1-3 ft. tall and produces very beautiful orange or yellow flowers on red stems in mid to late summer.

C. spicata grows 2-3 ft. and has lovely golden flowers followed by peculiar and showy seedpods. The late British gardener Christopher Lloyd described it as a handsome plant, but lamented that it did not flower very long.

Both species can be grown in containers quite easily and they are easy to propagate from seed or division. They are best in partial shade with humusy, fertile soil. They also dislike dry, windy locations. As far as “hardy” gingers go, they are worth experimenting with, though sometimes they find our summers too hot and do not fare well.