Red Button Ginger Care: How to Grow Costus Woodsonii

Red button ginger is one of the most eye-catching tropical plants you can grow in a warm garden, patio container, or greenhouse. Known botanically as Costus woodsonii, this spiral ginger produces glossy green leaves and bright red cone-shaped bracts that display small orange flowers.

Although it looks exotic, red button ginger is surprisingly easy to grow if you give it the conditions it loves: warm temperatures, consistent moisture, rich soil, and filtered sunlight. In tropical and subtropical climates, it can provide color and structure almost year-round.

This guide explains exactly how to grow and care for red button ginger, including light, soil, watering, fertilizer, pruning, propagation, overwintering, pests, and common plant problems.

What Is Red Button Ginger?

Red button ginger is a tropical flowering perennial in the Costaceae family. It is often called a spiral ginger because the leaves grow in a spiral arrangement along upright stems. The plant is prized for its red, cone-like bracts, which produce small orange flowers.

Despite the name, red button ginger is not the same plant as edible culinary ginger. It is grown primarily as an ornamental tropical plant. In warm gardens, it works beautifully as a border plant, accent plant, container specimen, or hummingbird-friendly tropical feature.

The bright red bracts can attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. For more pollinator-friendly garden ideas, you may also like our guide to hummingbird plants.

How to Grow Red Button Ginger

The best time to plant red button ginger is in spring, once temperatures are consistently warm. In tropical climates, it can be planted almost any time of year as long as the soil stays warm and moist.

Red button ginger usually grows slowly at first. It may take two or three years to reach its full size and bloom heavily, especially if planted from a small division or young nursery plant. Once established, however, it becomes a reliable, low-maintenance tropical perennial.

Red Button Ginger Care

Red button ginger is not difficult, but it does have strong preferences. The biggest keys are moisture, warmth, humidity, and protection from harsh conditions.

Light

Red button ginger grows best in bright filtered light or partial sun. In cooler or mild climates, it can handle more direct sun. In hot climates, afternoon shade is usually better because intense sun can scorch the leaves.

A good location is one that receives morning sun and afternoon shade, or bright dappled light beneath taller tropical plants or trees.

Soil

Plant red button ginger in rich, moist, well-draining soil. It does not like dry, sandy soil, but it also does not want to sit in stagnant water.

Before planting, improve the soil with compost, leaf mold, or aged organic matter. This helps hold moisture while still allowing excess water to drain away.

A slightly acidic to neutral soil is ideal. If your soil is heavy clay, amend it generously or grow the plant in a large container with a high-quality potting mix.

Water

Red button ginger needs consistent moisture. Keep the soil evenly moist, especially during active growth and hot weather.

As a general rule, give it at least 1 inch of water per week, and increase watering during dry spells. Container-grown plants may need water more often because pots dry out faster than garden beds.

Do not allow the soil to become completely dry for long periods. Drought stress can cause browning leaf edges, drooping stems, and reduced flowering.

Temperature and Humidity

Red button ginger is a tropical plant and grows best in warm, humid conditions. It performs best when temperatures stay above 50°F.

In zones 9 to 11, it may grow outdoors year-round. In colder regions, grow it in a container so it can be moved indoors before temperatures drop.

Brief light frost may damage the foliage, but an established plant may regrow from the rhizomes if the roots are protected. Heavy freezes can kill the plant unless it is mulched well or brought indoors.

Fertilizer

If red button ginger is planted in rich, compost-amended soil, it may not need much fertilizer. However, container plants and heavily blooming plants benefit from feeding during the growing season.

Use a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month in spring and summer. Avoid overfeeding with too much nitrogen, which can encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers.

You can also top-dress the soil with compost once or twice per year to support steady growth naturally.

Where to Plant Red Button Ginger

Red button ginger works best in warm, sheltered, moisture-retentive locations. It is especially attractive in tropical-style gardens, shaded borders, poolside plantings, and large patio containers.

Good companion plants include hostas, mondo grass, aralia, bush lily, tropical ferns, caladiums, and other shade-tolerant foliage plants. If you enjoy foliage combinations, see our guides on hosta plants and mondo grass vs liriope.

Growing Red Button Ginger in Containers

Red button ginger grows well in containers as long as the pot is large enough and drains properly. Use a container with multiple drainage holes and a rich, moisture-retentive potting mix.

A 3-gallon pot is a good minimum size for a young plant, but larger containers are better for mature plants. Because red button ginger grows from rhizomes, it can eventually fill the pot and may need division or repotting.

Container plants usually dry out faster than in-ground plants, so check soil moisture regularly. In hot weather, you may need to water once or twice per week, depending on pot size and exposure.

Pruning Red Button Ginger

Red button ginger does not need heavy pruning, but regular cleanup keeps the plant attractive and healthy.

Remove brown, damaged, or frost-burned leaves with clean pruning shears. You can also cut back weak or overcrowded stems to improve airflow around the plant.

After flowers fade, remove spent bracts and old stems if they look untidy. Deadheading will improve appearance, although it does not always trigger immediate reblooming.

If the plant is damaged by cold weather, wait until the danger of frost has passed, then cut dead stems back close to the ground. Healthy rhizomes can send up new growth when temperatures warm.

How to Propagate Red Button Ginger

Red button ginger can be propagated by division, stem cuttings, offshoots, or seed. For most gardeners, division is the easiest and most reliable method.

Propagation by Division

Division is the fastest way to create new red button ginger plants. This works especially well when a container plant has become crowded or an in-ground clump has spread too wide.

1. Water the plant the day before dividing it.
2. Carefully lift the plant from the pot or loosen the soil around the clump.
3. Shake or rinse away excess soil so you can see the rhizomes.
4. Use a clean, sharp knife to divide the rhizome into sections.
5. Make sure each section has healthy roots and at least one growth point.
6. Discard soft, black, rotten, or diseased rhizome pieces.
7. Replant each division in moist, rich soil.
8. Keep the new plants warm and evenly moist while they establish.

Propagation by Stem Cuttings

Red button ginger can also be propagated from healthy stem cuttings, although this method is usually slower than division.

1. Cut a healthy 6- to 8-inch stem using sterilized pruning shears.
2. Remove the lower leaves from the cutting.
3. Place the cutting 1 to 2 inches deep into moist potting mix.
4. Keep it in bright indirect light.
5. Cover loosely with a clear plastic bag to maintain humidity.
6. Open the bag daily for airflow.
7. Keep the soil moist but not soggy.

Cuttings may root in a few weeks if conditions are warm and humid.

Growing Red Button Ginger from Seed

Red button ginger can grow from seed, but seeds are harder to find and plants grown from seed may take up to two years to flower.

To start seeds, soak them overnight in room-temperature water, then sow them in a moist seed-starting mix. Keep the container warm, humid, and out of direct sun. Germination may take several weeks.

Overwintering Red Button Ginger

If you live in a cold climate, red button ginger should be brought indoors before temperatures fall below 50°F. Place container plants in a bright location and reduce watering slightly during winter.

Do not fertilize heavily during the colder months. Growth naturally slows when light levels and temperatures drop.

For in-ground plants in marginal climates, mulch heavily around the base to protect the rhizomes. If frost damages the foliage, cut it back after the cold has passed and wait for new spring growth.

Common Pests and Problems

Red button ginger is generally resilient, but it can attract pests or develop issues when growing conditions are poor.

Common Pests

Possible pests include scale, mealybugs, beetles, thrips, slugs, and snails. Inspect the undersides of leaves and the base of stems regularly.

For mild infestations, remove pests by hand or rinse them off with water. Horticultural oil or neem oil may help control soft-bodied insects such as scale and mealybugs.

Brown Leaf Edges

Brown leaf edges usually mean the plant is too dry, exposed to cold drafts, or growing in air that is too dry.

Increase watering, improve humidity, and move container plants away from cold windows or air vents.

Yellow Leaves

Yellowing leaves may be caused by overwatering, poor drainage, root stress, nutrient deficiency, or disease. Check the soil before watering. If it stays soggy, improve drainage or repot the plant into fresh mix.

Curling or Rolling Leaves

Leaf curl can be caused by heat stress, underwatering, pests, or disease. If the leaves are curling and the stems are soft or discolored, inspect the rhizomes for rot.

Rhizome Rot

Rhizome rot is usually caused by soggy soil or poor drainage. Affected roots may become soft, dark, or mushy. Remove badly diseased plants and avoid replanting healthy divisions in contaminated, waterlogged soil.

Why Is My Red Button Ginger Not Blooming?

If your red button ginger is not blooming, the most common reasons are low temperatures, not enough light, young plant age, or inconsistent moisture.

• Too cold: Red button ginger blooms best when temperatures stay above 50°F.
• Not enough light: Bright filtered light helps support flowering.
• Plant is too young: Young plants may take two or three years to bloom well.
• Dry soil: Drought stress can reduce flowering.
• Too much nitrogen: Excess nitrogen may encourage leaves instead of flowers.

Red Button Ginger Varieties and Similar Plants

Several Costus species and related ornamental gingers are grown for their tropical foliage and unusual flowers.

• Costus woodsonii: The classic red button ginger, known for red cone-shaped bracts and orange flowers.
• Costus woodsonii ‘Dwarf French Kiss’: A shorter, more compact type that may stay around 2 to 3 feet tall.
• Costus comosus var. bakeri: Often called red tower ginger, with tall upright growth and showy red bracts.
• Costus speciosus: Commonly called crepe ginger, known for ruffled white to pale pink flowers.
• Variegated crepe ginger: Grown for large variegated leaves and tropical foliage interest.

Is Red Button Ginger Good for Pollinators?

Yes. Red button ginger can attract hummingbirds and other pollinators with its bright bracts and small flowers. The plant may also produce nectar that attracts ants and other insects.

If you are designing a tropical pollinator garden, red button ginger pairs well with other nectar-rich plants, foliage plants, and moisture-loving tropical perennials.

Final Verdict: Is Red Button Ginger Easy to Grow?

Red button ginger is easy to grow if you can provide warmth, moisture, humidity, and rich soil. It is best suited to tropical and subtropical gardens, but it can also be grown in containers and overwintered indoors in cooler regions.

For the best results, give it bright filtered light, keep the soil consistently moist, protect it from cold, and divide crowded rhizomes when needed.

If you want a bold tropical plant with glossy foliage, red cone-shaped bracts, and hummingbird appeal, red button ginger is an excellent choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does red button ginger come back every year?
Yes, red button ginger is a perennial in warm climates. In colder areas, it may die back after frost but can regrow from protected rhizomes if the roots survive.

Can red button ginger grow in pots?
Yes. Red button ginger grows well in large containers with rich, well-draining soil. Container plants may need more frequent watering and occasional division.

How much sun does red button ginger need?
Red button ginger grows best in bright filtered light or partial sun. In hot climates, afternoon shade helps prevent leaf scorch.

Why are my red button ginger leaves turning brown?
Brown leaf edges are usually caused by dry soil, low humidity, cold drafts, or temperature stress. Keep the soil evenly moist and protect the plant from cold.

How do you propagate red button ginger?
The easiest way to propagate red button ginger is by dividing the rhizomes. It can also be propagated by stem cuttings or seeds, although division is usually faster.

Is red button ginger the same as edible ginger?
No. Red button ginger is grown mainly as an ornamental tropical plant. It is not the same as common edible ginger used in cooking.