There are so many varieties of ginger to be grown in a your central Florida garden but here's one that can literally give you a fragrant shampoo and hair conditioner- right out of the plant!
I'm talking about "shampoo" or "pinecone" ginger. The pictures tell the tale of the name "pinecone" because when it blooms, it looks just like a green pinecone which slowly changes to a beautiful red. Once the pinecone changes to red, a squeeze will release the clear, fragrant liquid which you can catch in a bowl and literally use to wash your hair or as a fragrant conditioner which can be left right in your hair without rinsing. I've also applied the liquid to my arms after mosquito bites and it seems to relieve the sting.
This ginger couldn't be easier to grow. It likes shade or semi shade and a bit of watering to get it growing but after that it does it's own thing. It does die down to the ground during the winter but in the spring it pops back up bigger and better and increases in size every year. The pinecones form around late July and ripen to red around
August. This beautiful plant comes in solid green leaves or variagated leaves as shown in one of the pics. What a wonderful plant to grow in a shady spot in your Florida garden!
I usually have 1 gal. plants of Shampoo Ginger for sale at 4 Bees Herb Farm in August.
