Costus
From TejasTropicals Articles
We list Costus under Spiral Gingers on our website because until recently that’s what they were considered. Current taxonomy places them in a separate family, Costaceae. Regardless, they grow and look like a ginger to most gardeners.
They have tall thick stems with individual nodes and leaves that are arranged in a spiral around the stem. The species we cultivate have red or maroon markings on the stems, some have pronounced fine hairs or pubescence, while others have pronounced ligules or vertical stripes. The point is all of them could be grown for their beautiful foliage alone but they also have awesome flowers.
The inflorescences are usually terminal and have cone shaped bracts where crepe like flowers emerge. Some have basal flowers and some have both! The floral display is spectacular.
One of my favorite Costus is C. vargasii ‘Raspberry Yogurt’. The stems are a beautiful dark pink to rose color. The pronounced ligules create bulges on each node going up the stem. The flowers are produced basal and apical and are bright red. It is a real show stopper. Another beauty is C. longibracteatus ‘Kiss of Death.’ This is a basal blooming species and has a red bract. It has very dense, stiff hairs on the stems and very long bracteoles, hence its name. It prefers about 50% shade and can be a reluctant bloomer. I have had good success with it by over wintering in the greenhouse and using organic fertilizers. It’s well worth the effort.
These wonderful tropicals deserve more attention. They have unique foliage displays that are reason enough to grow them. When you include their beautiful flowers they just can’t be beat. Give one or two a try this year in your garden.