Cheilocostus speciosus 'Foster Variegated' syn. Costus Speciosus 'Foster Variegated'
Variegated Crêpe Ginger
Costus is a tropical fleshy-leafed perennial plant, the leaves spiralling up the stem. In Summer it bears cone-shaped inflorescences with small flowers around. The plants can grow quite large, depending on the variety. In areas that do not have a tropical climate they will need to be grown indoors. Costus barbatus is a perennial plant with a red inflorescence. The long, red inflorescences have edible, bright yellow, tubular flowers. 'Foster Variegated' is a variegated form of Cheilocostus speciosus, having cream-edged green leaves
-
Full sun to partial shade
-
Frequent watering
-
Not Frost hardy
-
Free draining and fertile
Common name
Variegated Crêpe Ginger
Latin name
Cheilocostus speciosus 'Foster Variegated' syn. Costus Speciosus 'Foster Variegated'
type
Rhizomatous perennial
family
Costaceae
ph
6.0 - 7.5 Acid - Neutral
-
Light
Full sun to partial shade
-
Frost
Not Frost hardy
-
Soil
Free draining and fertile
-
Water
Frequent watering
Plant & bloom calendar
-
Best time to plant
-
When the plant will bloom
full grown dimensions
1.00 M
3.00 M
Cheilocostus speciosus 'Foster Variegated' syn. Costus Speciosus 'Foster Variegated'
Costus is a tropical fleshy-leafed perennial plant, the leaves spiralling up the stem. In Summer it bears cone-shaped inflorescences with small flowers around. The plants can grow quite large, depending on the variety. In areas that do not have a tropical climate they will need to be grown indoors. Costus barbatus is a perennial plant with a red inflorescence. The long, red inflorescences have edible, bright yellow, tubular flowers. 'Foster Variegated' is a variegated form of Cheilocostus speciosus, having cream-edged green leaves
Flowering
From Early Summer TO Late Summer
The exotic-looking cone-shaped flowers appear through Summer
Planting
From Early Spring TO Late Spring
Costus likes moist, free-draining soil. In anywhere other than tropical climates they will need to be grown indoors. Container-grown plants will need annual re-potting
Propagating by division of rhizomes
From Early Spring TO Early Spring
The rhizomes can be divided in winter to extract new plants. Dig up the whole clump, or a section of the clump, (or remove from the pot), and shake off the soil. You will see a clump of fleshy rhizomes with many shoots. Remove any dead or unhealthy rhizomes, and divide the rest, making sure each division has at least two or three shoots. Re-plant immediately.