Recommended for your garden in southern Spain: Crepe ginger

Hellenia speciosa (synonym Costus speciosa), commonly called crepe ginger, is native to sub-tropical and tropical areas of Asia and Queensland in Australia. It needs warm temperatures and humidity to flourish and is not drought resistant.

The soil should have plenty of organic material mixed to conserve moisture and regular feeding with a fertiliser high in phosphorus from early spring until the end of the summer is recommended.

It is a popular ornamental plant as it has large, glossy-green leaves arranged in a spiral around the reddish stems and red flower buds at the tips which open into large, tissue-like, white blooms, usually with a yellow centre. The flowers open one at a time and fade quickly. It is quite a large plant and can reach three metres tall. It has rhizomatous roots that help it to spread and form a clump. Dividing the clump in early spring is the best way to propagate new plants.

If it gets too large for a space it can be pruned back. This will encourage lots of new growth and more flowers.

The large leaves are susceptible to scorching so need a location out of direct sunlight but with plenty of light. The compost must be kept moist and not allowed to dry out or become waterlogged. In dry climates the whole plant will benefit from regular misting.

Although related to culinary ginger the rhizomes are primarily used in some cultures to treat digestion problems and diabetes.