FoliageWild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a slow-growing perennial, hardy in USDA zones 4-6, that matures to about 0.5-1 ft × 1-1.5 ft. It does best in part shade and full shade with high water needs in well-drained, moist and occasionally-wet soil. Expect brown and purple blooms in spring. It attracts butterflies, pollinators and songbirds, stands up well to deer, erosion and wet soil, grows happily in containers.
- USDA zones
- 4-6
- Sun
- Part shade, Full shade
- Water
- High
- Mature size
- 0.5-1 ft × 1-1.5 ft
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally-wet
- Bloom color
- Brown, Purple
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Pollinators, Songbirds
- Tough against
- Deer, Erosion, Wet soil
- Native to
- Manitoba to North Carolina
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Wild Ginger is hardy to about -30°F (estimated from USDA zone 4), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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