As I was walking in the side garden today, suddenly a stand of Hedychium coronarium (White Ginger Lily) just beginning to bud caught my attention. In good years fragrant white flowers will perfume the garden in late summer to early fall and it looks like this might be one of those special years.

Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)

This Ginger Lily, a pass-along plant from a horticulturist neighbor, has been an unreliable bloomer, but when it does bloom the effect is so memorable as to make it worth keeping it around just in case.

With plenty of heat and humidity this summer, conditions have been just right for ginger lily to thrive. Though there have been no showers for the past five or six days, there has been a good amount of rain overall, sending these moisture-loving plants up four to five feet in height.

Sometimes called butterfly ginger because individual flowers are reminiscent of butterflies, this perennial is thought to be native to the Himalayas. It is the national flower of Cuba. It dies back to the ground during winter in this zone-7b garden.

Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily) With Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog)

The second ginger lily surprise today was the discovery of a Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog) hanging out mid-day, flattened against one of the nearly two feet long leaves enjoying the shade.

Yellowish green with an ivory stripe along its side and yellow dots on its back, this Green Treefrog will be searching for flying insects later tonight.

Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog)