How to Prune a Flower Stalk on a Ginger Lily

Ginger lilies (Hedychium spp.) have blooms that resemble hyacinths in a range of shades including white, red, yellow and orange. They flower in the summer with fragrant blooms. Green stalks grow from underground rhizomes, getting 3 to 7 feet tall. Ginger lilies grow well in rich soil with good drainage. They need regular watering to assist in growth. While you can let the flower stalks simply die, pruning them will keep the plant healthier and encourage another blooming.

Mulch
Secateurs (pruning shears)
Sharp knife

Instructions

- 1
  Grow ginger lily in full sunlight or light shade to promote healthy flower stalks. Keep the soil moist.
- 2
  Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the base of the flower if you're growing it as a perennial. This adds protection in the autumn and winter, minimizing frost damage. If growing as an annual, dig up the rhizomes and store inside during the winter.
- 3
  Prune the flower stalks once the blooming season is over. Use secateurs to cut them down to the ground. Leave an inch or two sticking up from the ground so you can easily locate the plants. This helps you avoid slicing through the plants accidentally the following spring.
- 4
  Cut the leaves at ground level once they die off. Do not remove the leaves or stalk too early. If there is any green left on the leaves, they are still making sugar to be stored in the bulb. This nutrient aids in survival over the winter.
- 5
  Pull up and remove weeds that may have grown in between the rhizomes. Ginger lily rhizomes often rise to the soil surface unless you put down a thick layer of mulch.
- 6
  Propagate ginger lily in the late winter. Dig up the rhizomes, hose off soil and cut the roots back. Work a sharp knife in between the rhizomes to separate them. Keep at least one growing tip in each section. These can be replanted to make new ginger lilies.

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