Are you curious about wild ginger and if you can grow it in your garden? Wild ginger is a wonderful native plant that makes an excellent ground cover for a shade garden. In this article, we will discuss the proper care and maintenance of these beautiful and easy-to-grow plants.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Asarum canadense, commonly known as Canada wild ginger, Canadian snakeroot, and broad-leaved asarabacca, is a herbaceous, perennial plant which forms dense colonies in the understory of deciduous forests throughout its native range in eastern North America, from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic Coast, and from southeastern Canada south to around the Fall Line in the southeastern United States.
It is protected as a state threatened species in Maine.
Its leaves are velvety, kidney-shaped, and persistent, exhibiting a unique iridescence when in full sun. Underground shoots are shallow-growing, fleshy rhizomes that branch to form a clump. Flowers bloom from April through June. Flowers are hairy and have three sepals. They are tan to purple in color on the outside and are lighter on the inside, with tapered tips and bases fused into a cup.
Pollinated flowers develop into a pod, which splits open when ripe to reveal seeds with elaiosomes, structures that are eaten by ants (myrmecochory).
The diploid chromosome number is 26.
If you are looking for a great plant for your woodland garden, shade garden, or even a shaded rock garden, wild ginger would be an excellent choice. It forms dense colonies and thrives in woodland habitats with partial to full shade. It prefers moist soils and can tolerate periodically wet soils as well.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Found in shady areas, the plant doesn’t need much sun to flourish. In fact, direct sun can cause the leaves to burn in summer. So to keep it happy, plant it in a spot with full to partial shade.
Temperature and Humidity
Most varieties of wild ginger are old hardy to Zone 4, so they should overwinter just fine in most temperate regions. They do need cold winter temperatures to complete their life cycle, so they won’t really flourish in zones warmer than 7. Wild ginger likes moist soil and so will tolerate humidity fairly well.
Watering
Unless there is a drought, wild ginger needs no extra watering, as long as it’s grown in suitable soil conditions. Add moisture-holding amendments that also allow good drainage, like peat moss, used coffee grounds and compost.
Soil
Wild ginger likes a rich, moist, slightly-acidic soil, rich with humus, similar to many other shade loving woodland plants. Organic soils are best for this nutrient-loving plant.
Fertilizing
Plant this native species in garden soil rich in organic matter, but you will not need to add any extra fertilizer. Native plants are well-adapted to natural conditions and generally do very well without extra fertilizers or chemical assistance.
Propagation
If you already have access to a native ginger plant, propagation is extremely easy. All you need is one plant to get you started. Once it settles into its new home, it will start to spread by creeping rhizomes, and it is very simple to divide larger clusters. Do not dig plants from the wild, but you can share your clusters freely with your gardening friends.
Seed
Wild ginger can be grown from seed, and you can collect seeds from the mature flowers after they turn brown. The seeds require cold stratification before they will germinate.
Seeds from the Asarum genus require a minimum of 3 weeks of freezing temperatures to stimulate sprouting. The adventurous gardener can plant them outdoors in the fall and let nature take its course, or you can simulate winter by placing seeds in your freezer.
Direct Sow Outdoors
If you want to start seeds outside, sow them in moist soil in late fall:
- Sow the seeds by gently pressing them into the soil surface.
- Cover them with a dusting of fresh soil, no more than ¼ to ½ inch deep.
- Do not bury the seeds, or they won’t sprout.
- You should not have to do much during the winter; allow them to go through the natural winter process.
Allowing seeds to germinate naturally can work very well, but you also don’t have much control over the local environmental conditions
Start Indoors
If you want to start seeds indoors, you will have more control but also a bit more work.
- First, place some seeds in a small amount of moist soil or vermiculite.
- Seal these in an airtight bag or container.
- Place them in the freezer for at least 3 weeks to simulate a winter phase.
- After this cold stratification, place the seeds in seed-starting pots or trays.
- Plant them no more than ¼ inch deep.
- Place the pots in a location at room temperature.
- Keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout, which may require several weeks.
Whether you planted your seeds inside or outside, they should germinate in the spring, and you will see tiny new wild ginger plants. They may not look like much for the first year, but they will be developing larger roots and sturdy rhizomes to grow even larger in the following years.
Seedlings
Wild ginger seedlings look like miniature versions of mature plants. The young leaves are heart-shaped, growing on short, delicate stems. Seedlings don’t require any special care. They have fairly basic needs of moist soil and a shaded location.
Outdoor seedlings may be a tempting snack for browning deer and rabbits, so you may want to place a small protective cage around them until they get a little bigger. Indoor seedlings need to be kept moist but not wet until they are large enough to transplant outside. Wait until seedlings are at least several inches tall and have a few true leaves before transplanting them.
Division
The easiest way to propagate wild ginger will be by dividing established clusters. The best time of year to divide plants will be early spring or late fall. If you have a colony of wild ginger plants, you will notice several individual clusters of leaves emerging from the ground. At the base of each leaf cluster is a mature rhizome.
The easiest way to propagate wild ginger will be by dividing established clusters. The best time of year to divide plants will be early spring or late fall. If you have a colony of wild ginger plants, you will notice several individual clusters of leaves emerging from the ground. At the base of each leaf cluster is a mature rhizome.
Pests and Diseases
Wild ginger plants are generally hardy and trouble-free. They may, however, be eaten by snails and slugs. They are typically disease-free.
Rabbits and Deer
Rabbits and deer are vegetarians and will sample just about any vegetation. They will occasionally browse on the leaves, causing minor damage.
Plants typically re-grow with no lasting negative effects. If you are concerned that your newly planted plant will get eaten by herbivores, you can safely and securely protect it by covering it with a browse-proof critter cage. Once the plant is mature, a few nibbles won’t hurt it.
Snails and Slugs
Snails and slugs can cause occasional problems by eating the tender leaves of groundcover plants. These can be difficult to control, but fortunately, they rarely cause serious damage.
If you notice slugs chewing holes in the leaves, you can hand-pick the pests and physically remove them from your garden area. Using an organic slug and snail bait also is effective.
Maintenance
You will be pleased to know that this plant is very low-maintenance. After planting it and allowing it some time to become established, you will likely not need to do any maintenance other than typical garden maintenance, such as pulling weeds.
During times of drought, you can offer your plants some water. Wild ginger will become quite tolerant of short-term dry conditions once well-established, especially if growing in a well-shaded location. The other optional maintenance is thinning colonies that have overgrown their allotted space. You can do this every few years, as necessary or desired.
III. Uses and Benefits
- Ornamental uses
Wild ginger occurs naturally as an understory forest floor cover. It forms a dense, massive, and rapidly growing ground cover in a garden setting with similar conditions. It is excellent to grow in shady, moist areas and under trees where other cover plants can’t thrive due to lack of sunlight. It is deal for woodland and shady, native gardens.
- Other uses
The long rhizomes of A. canadense were used by Native Americans as a seasoning. It has similar aromatic properties to true ginger (Zingiber officinale), but should not be used as a substitute because it contains an unknown concentration of the carcinogen aristolochic acid and asarone. The distillate from the ground root is known as Canadian snakeroot oil. The odor and flavor are spicy. It has been used in many flavor preparations.
Native Americans used the plant as a medicinal herb to treat a number of ailments including dysentery, digestive problems, swollen breasts, coughs and colds, typhus, scarlet fever, nerves, sore throats, cramps, heaves, earaches, headaches, convulsions, asthma, tuberculosis, urinary disorders, and venereal disease. In addition, they also used it as a stimulant or appetite enhancer, and as a charm. It was also used as an admixture to strengthen other herbal preparations.
