Costus barbatusRed Tower Ginger

Costus barbatus, the Red Tower Ginger, is distinguished from the true gingers by the way its leaves spiral around cane-like stems, a habit that reads clearly even before the plant flowers. Clumps build to 1.5 to 2.5 metres and carry upright red bracts with yellow tubular flowers emerging between them.

The bracts hold for months, which makes it a mainstay of tropical border planting and one of the most durable cut flowers grown in humid climates.

Specifications

• Height1.5 to 2.5 metres
• Width1 to 1.5 metres
• Native toCosta Rica, and widely cultivated across the humid tropics
• FoliageLance-shaped leaves arranged spirally around cane-like stems, softly hairy beneath; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers rich, moist, well-drained soil
• LightPartial shade to filtered sun
• WaterModerate to high; keep consistently moist
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and warm subtropical regions; frost tender

Additional Features

• FlowersUpright red conical bracts with yellow tubular flowers, holding colour for months
• FormDistinctive spiralling cane habit that gives structure even out of flower
• UsesIdeal for tropical borders, resort and courtyard planting, and as a long-lasting cut flower
• SpacingPlant 0.8 to 1.2 metres apart for a solid clump
• Low MaintenanceCut spent canes at the base and the clump renews from the rhizome
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free with basic care
• Wildlife AttractionTubular flowers are worked by nectar-feeding birds

The Red Tower Ginger gives a humid-climate scheme long-held colour and a genuinely distinctive plant form.