Elettaria cardamomum

Dwarf Ginger or Cardamom. This dwarf ginger reaches only 12-18" and is an excellent tall groundcover in the shade. This plant makes a wonderful textural statement when planted in mass. We never see it flower unless we have a mild winter remaining only in the low 20's, since it flowers on two year old stems. The flowers are red on scapes about the same height as the leaves. So when the foliage is frozen to the ground in colder winters, we never get to see it flower. In actuality, it is the plant from which the spice cardamom is harvested. When one barely brushes against the foliage, the leaves give off a pleasing spicy aroma. Cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight behind saffron and vanilla, and it has numerous uses in commerce. It can be easily grown as a pot plant in areas where it is too cold to grow it outside in the ground.

Zones 7-10