The Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger, otherwise known as the Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ or Tropical Milkweed ‘Silky Deep Red’, Bloodflower ‘Silky Deep Red’, Blood Flower ‘Silky Deep Red’, Cotton Bush ‘Silky Deep Red’, Hierba de la Cucaracha ‘Silky Deep Red’, Mexican Butterfly Weed ‘Silky Deep Red’, Redhead ‘Silky Deep Red’, Scarlet Milkweed ‘Silky Deep Red’, Wild Ipecacuanha ‘Silky Deep Red’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its variegated colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
The fundamental caring guidelines for every Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger loves moist soil but will still survive dusty soil when it is established.
- Light: Keep your Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ in an environment where it can receive full to partial shade on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger in soil with well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand and loam.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger belongs to the Apocynaceae family, the genus Asclepias and the species Curassavica, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ (as-AIR-um SPLEN-denz).
As with other Asclepias’s, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger is a semi-evergreen plant, which means it will shed its leaves but only for a short period of time.
Growing Region
The Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger is a plant native to the Mexico to Tropical America.
You might be wondering why your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 11 region, and in climate zones that range between 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ can grow up to 3′ – 4′ (90cm – 120cm) in 3′ – 4′ (90cm – 120cm) and 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm).
These dimensions make the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger a relatively medium shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 36″ (90cm) free so the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ loves moist soil but will still survive dusty soil when it is established.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand and loam.
This is why most experts agree that the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger requires soil with high organic matter, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger requires full to partial shade in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a semi-evergreen plant, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger will shed its leaves but only for a short period of time.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger to flower around the summer and in the fall months from July to September (summer), and from October to December (fall).
The Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger produces some beautiful brown, or orange, gold/yellow and red/burgundy flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger have a beautiful variegated color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a opposite, alternatewhorled, organization in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger is well known for being able to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Asarum Splendens ‘Quicksilver’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most asian/zen gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in prairie and meadow styles.
In particular, the Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, and in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a woodland garden,
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Quicksilver Chinese Wild Ginger, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
