Illustration
Western Wild Ginger
Asarum caudatum
Also called long-tailed ginger
Western Wild Ginger blooms from April through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Western Wild Ginger
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–10. Expect it to reach about 8 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
Is Western Wild Ginger toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as poisonous to people by Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Western Wild Ginger
Plant Western Wild Ginger in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 8, the middle of its hardy zones 7 to 10, spring means February to April and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from April to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 8, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 8 in February. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Western Wild Ginger get?
8 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Western Wild Ginger in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Western Wild Ginger
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Western Wild Ginger about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Western Wild Ginger to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Western Wild Ginger's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 9 published sources on October 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Heritage Perennials / Valleybrookheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- himanursery.comHima Nurseryheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- plantdatabase.kpu.caKwantlen Polytechnic Universityheight, spread, sun, water and bloom months and color
- devilmountainnursery.comDevil Mountain Wholesale Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones and water
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun, water and bloom months and color
- depts.washington.eduUniversity of Washingtonsun and trait tags
- NC State Extensionsun and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Extensionhardiness zones
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 5 states and 1 province
United States: California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Canada: British Columbia
Recorded growing wild in 69 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Foliage
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.