October isn’t the happiest month in the garden. All the cheerful blooms that sprang up to say hello in April and May are feeling far less cheerful now that it’s fall, and some of them have either become downright brown, stiff, and cranky, or they might even have given up and exited the garden altogether. If you were clever enough to plant some ginger lilies a while back, then you still have something interesting and fragrant to enjoy in your autumn garden.

The white ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium, is the most commonly sold member of the Hedychium family of tropical plants that originated in Asia, but more than 30 varieties are available, ranging in color from warm white through pale yellow and peach to orange. A beautiful version that bridges the cream to gold spectrum is called ‘Daniel Weeks’. It is grown at Magnolia Plantation, and it’s one of the longest blooming ginger lilies.

The white ginger lily is well suited to life in Columbia since it enjoys moist soil and high humidity, and our mild winter temperatures allow it to be grown as a perennial. The tall stalks with attractive, large, lance-shaped leaves that grow 3 to 6 feet tall are interesting in the garden even before the flowers arrive — but of course what we’re waiting for are the flowers.

The flowers have a marvelous fragrance, which is a huge bonus because the bloom lasts about a week as a cut flower. If you cut one and bring it in, your house will smell wonderful for a week.

If you weren’t clever enough to have already planted some white ginger lilies, don’t despair. Find a spot in your garden that has a good long dose of morning sun; add some nice, rich compost to the bed; put your ginger lily rhizomes in and maybe some ferns and hostas out front to keep them company; and then next spring watch as the shoots come up. Keep them nice and damp but not wet over the summer, and this time next year, forget the cranky part of the fall garden and breathe in the sweet fragrance of the ginger lily.