The bold tropical foliage and exquisite flowers of these ginger cousins, make curcuma an exotic and welcome addition to the perennial garden. Most curcuma species emerge after mid-June, so they can be planted alongside spring bulbs for a continuing sequence of flowers.
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Curcuma plants prefer part sun to light shade and evenly moist soils. Many of the curcuma hybrids available today have been bred for the tropical cut flower market, so they produce fantastic, large, colorful flowers.
North of their hardiness zone, curcuma selections make excellent container plants. In the wild, curcuma is a monsoon plant, adapted to wet summers and dry winters, so container grown curcuma plants should be well watered in the summer and then stored somewhat dry in a garage for the winter.
The genus curcuma has a long culinary history. The species Curcuma longa is better known as the spice turmeric, used in curry. The genus curcuma is related to other tropical culinary plants, most notably ginger (Zingiber) and banana (Musa). When you are ready to buy curcuma for your garden, check out our online list of curcuma for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
Curcuma elata stood out in our trials as one of the finest cold-climate garden specimens in the genus curcuma. The huge, bold-textured, canna-shaped green leaves compose the giant 6' tall clump. For us, this is the earliest curcuma to flower, mid-June in NC, when the 1' tall pine cone-like spikes sprout from the base of the plant. Each flower spike is topped with bright pink bracts which serve as a mini-umbrella for the yellow flowers that poke from the side of the cone below. Curcuma elata has been reliably hardy in our Zone 7b garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Curcuma 'Sulee Sunshine' is a new and wonderful curcuma hybrid from Thailand breeder Annop Ongsakul. Developed for the tropical cut flower market, Curcuma 'Sulee Sunshine' has come through two mild winters (15 F). This splendid selection flowers for us from August through October with 9" stalks, topped with long-lasting 8" flower "cones," dipped in pink and yellow. As a background, the 18" long x 8" wide pleated green leaves naturally fold away from the flowers unlike many of the other curcumas. This is an exceptional selection for warm climate gardens or as an amazing container specimen in the North. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Curcuma 'Pink Wonder' has been the star of our curcuma trials. The tardily emerging foliage finally shows itself in mid-June, with 7' tall foliage resembling a fancy giant aspidistra...green with a central burgundy stripe. The flowers on this selection emerge like pine cones on separate 1' tall stems alongside the foliage in late summer. Curcuma 'Pink Wonder' was selected for inflorescences that are white at the base and bright pink on the top...quite the showpiece in the garden as well as being easy to grow. We like to plant curcumas alongside spring bulbs for a continuous sequence of interest in the same spot. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
.jpg "Epimedium wushanense (Wushan Fairy Wings)")
