Canadian Wild Ginger

Shade-Loving Groundcover Gem

Canadian Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a charming, low-growing woodland plant from the Birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), treasured for its dense, heart-shaped foliage and fascinating, hidden flowers. A cousin to the exotic-looking Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia), it shares the Birthwort family's unusual flower shapes and pollination habits.

Native to the rich deciduous forests of Eastern North America, this herbaceous perennial is perfect for naturalized shade gardens, where it forms a lush, weed-smothering carpet. While not the true Ginger used in cooking, its aromatic roots have earned it the name thanks to a warm, spicy scent reminiscent of culinary Ginger when crushed.

Forming a tight clump of bright green leaves that resemble little round hearts or kidney beans, Canadian Wild Ginger grows under a foot tall and slowly spreads by underground rhizomes to fill in shady nooks with soft, velvety foliage. Beneath its leaves in the spring, you'll find curious, three-lobed reddish-purple flowers lying low near the soil surface, almost secretive, like woodland treasure. Though the blooms are modest in size and tucked away, they're important to early-emerging native insects and beetle pollinators.

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Key Features

• Native woodland groundcover in the Birthwort family
• Aromatic rhizomes, not edible but pleasantly spicy-scented
• Deep green heart-shaped leaves form a dense mat
• Small, maroon flowers bloom in early spring, near ground level
• Grows 6-12 inches tall and slowly spreads by rhizomes
• Tolerant of deep shade and deer browsing
• Supports native pollinators, insect biodiversity, and early-emerging beetle pollinators
• Symbolic of resilience and quiet beauty

Landscaping Uses

Use Canadian Wild Ginger as a shade-loving groundcover that spreads 12-18 inches wide and remains under 1 foot tall. This plant adapts beautifully to woodland edges, shady borders, and as a groundcover beneath trees.

• Great underplanting for native trees and shrubs
• Naturalized woodland or shade gardens
• Cottage garden plantings for shady corners
• Pollinator gardens focused on early spring nectar
• Living mulch under shrubs, around trees, or around taller perennials
• Blocks weeds and creates a lush living mulch
• Moist, shady slopes or erosion control
• Low border edging in shady beds or along shaded pathways

Symbolizing protection and hidden strength, Canadian Wild Ginger was historically used by Indigenous peoples and herbalists as a medicinal tea for colds, fevers, and digestive complaints.