Is your garden shady? Lots of deer? You want somethings special to grow near a path, but don’t want it take over? Would you like to plant something that the children and grandchildren will love? Plant Hexastylis arifolia (Heartleaf or Wild Ginger). I always loved finding this plant when I was a kid. The beautifully patterned leaves smell and taste like ginger. The flowers are tucked beneath and look like little jugs. It thrives in well drained soil with lots of organic matter. (like the place where the fallen leaves pile up). It prefers acidic soil, but I have seen it thriving with calcium-loving plants as well. (Just don’t plant it on top of limestone, oyster shells or over concrete). Although, it tolerates long droughts in the woods, it grows especially well where the soil stays on the moist side. I don’t have time to water plants outside of the container area, so this plant has endured many droughts. We propagated our plants from ones that we rescued from development on Callawasee Island in the 90’s. (A thank you to the Callawassee Garden Club members who invited me to the rescue back then). Check out our catalog if you would like to get some for your garden. (We only have a few ready right now). We hope to see you soon!