Roscoea humeana

Roscoea humeana is a rare, collector's bulb from the high mountains of China. This very cold-hardy plant, sometimes called orchid ginger, will be appreciated for its unusual and long-lasting violet flowering. Its foliage emerges from the ground in spring and disappears in winter. You can plant it in a moist rockery or a raised bed, preferably in partial shade, with small ferns, for example.

Roscoea humeana belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. Native to the Himalayas, this alpine botanical species grows in moist, light, and acidic soils (humic, even peaty), in non-scorching sun. It is a herbaceous perennial with a tuberous root. The young shoots emerge quite late in spring. The vegetation consists of stems bearing long linear, bright green leaves, measuring about 25 cm (10in) long and arranged in a clump. Flowering begins in May-June and continues until July in the form of tall flower stems, 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12in) high, bearing short floral spikes. The 4 cm (2in) diameter flowers consist of a long tube widening into 3 petals, with the upper one forming a helmet and the lower one a lip. Their colour is an intense purple. The fleshy roots develop in clusters from a central rhizome.

Roscoea humeana pairs well with rodgersias, cimicifugas, and hostas on the edge of woodlands and ericaceous beds. It is also a very pretty plant for partially shaded alpine rockeries where it can be grown with small spring bulbs, gentians, or saxifrages. Plant the rhizomes quite deeply, as this will allow them to withstand the strongest frosts.