Chinese wild ginger
Asarum splendens · Aristolochiaceae
Arrow-shaped, evergreen leaves as long as a hand, dark green splashed with silver, spreading into a rich carpet in shade.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Chinese wild ginger
The planner designed this bed around Chinese wild ginger when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Chinese wild ginger stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Chinese wild ginger × 7, dark green leaves
- 2 Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' × 16, blue
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 5 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 6 Toad lily × 3, purple
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 7, yellow
- 8 Snowdrop × 3, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 8 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 66% of the edge.
- 7 plants in 2 runs (4 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Bold leaf against fine. Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 8 groups (75%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 50% of the visual weight and the right half 50%. The scheme leans cool (blue, pink and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Chinese wild ginger goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The showiest wild ginger and the quickest to cover ground, though never a nuisance. Its patterned leaves do in shade what cyclamen leaves do, at four times the size.
- Evergreen groundcover in shade
- Patterned foliage with ferns
- Under shrubs
What to plant with Chinese wild ginger
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Autumn fern: medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (22 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about Chinese wild ginger
Does Chinese wild ginger need sun or shade?
Chinese wild ginger grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does Chinese wild ginger grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should Chinese wild ginger be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Chinese wild ginger plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used seven in two groups.
Is Chinese wild ginger poisonous?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people. Contains aristolochic acid, which damages the kidneys. Do not eat any part of it, despite the name.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a native plant like Chinese wild ginger?
Chinese wild ginger comes from S. Central China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Wild ginger: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, not evergreen.
- Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, medium leaves, not bold.
- Rock polypody: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, medium leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Chinese wild ginger?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does Chinese wild ginger look like in winter?
Chinese wild ginger keeps its dark green and silver leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is Chinese wild ginger good for bees and butterflies?
Chinese wild ginger is visited by pollinators.
More Asarum
- European wild ginger Asarum europaeum
- Wild ginger Asarum canadense
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; hanging bells; purple
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green, silver
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Aristolochiaceae
- Comes from
- S. Central China
- Attracts
- Pollinators
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.