Sextus,

My experience with this ginger is that it is not as cold tolerant as advertised. Here in southwest Louisiana, Zone 9a, when I had this ginger planted in the ground, it would die completely back during the winter, then begin to show life around June. However, it would never produce as much growth nor get as tall as the previous summer. I think it would have just eventually dwindled away. I finally dug it up and potted it. I have a small greenhouse and overwinter it there. It is doing just fine now.

Steve

Yeah after this ginger was first imported (I believe it was brought in by John Banta) its was deemed "rare" and commanded a high price, then it seemed to go into tissue culture very quickly, and suddenly it was everyhere. They were selling huge stuffed 3 gal containers here for $12 with a label saying hardy in some 8. But its not. People were snatching them up like hotcakes...now its never even offered for sale anymore.
This is basically an evergreen zingiber. Old stalks will eventually get ratty and have to be cut off, but it doesn't seem to have a natural dormancy period like, say, a Zingiber zerumbet (red pinecone ginger). If it is allowed to freeze, the rhizomes will still look viable when you dig them up, but it seems to put the plant in suspended animation and it is extremely slow to come beck, if it does at all. The only specimen I ever have that looks great year round is greenhouse grown and has never suffered temps below 55F.

Mine never made it through last winter in 9b. I bought mine at a nursery that said it was hardy to zone 8. It died off pretty early in the winter and never came back.

here in los angeles,it so far,appears,evergreen,unlike most zingibas