Hellenia speciosa 'Wizard of Oz'

(aka: Costus speciosus) Hellenia speciosa 'Wizard of Oz' is a 2025 Plant Delights/JLBG introduction of an amazingly winter hardy form of the typically warm tropical, southeast Asian native crepe ginger. This gem is a 2013 Ozzie Johnson collection from near Yan Ming, Vietnam at 3,900' elevation. Emerging in mid-June (NC), the thick, fleshy green stalks, quickly rise to 6' tall. The top of the stalks are wrapped with spirally-arranged, fleshy green leaves, and topped all summer, and until frost, with terminal, pine cone-like clusters of white flowers. If that's not enough, Hellenia speciosa has a wide range of medicinal uses, including treating pleurisy, tonsilitis, swollen uvulas, diabetes, fevers, leprosy, headaches, as a muscle relaxant, and to treat snakebites, as well as cancer...whew! Light open shade and average to slightly dry soils are best.