Q. This summer I made a purchase of this plant at the local Lowe’s. The
plant is turning yellow and then to dead leaves. What do I do, cut it
down to ground level? Cover it up with mulch? Can’t find any
directions for winterizing it here in the low country. I think we
are 8B zone. Thank you for any help you can share with me. Jackie Dittimer – Charleston, SC
A. Curcuma is a ginger family plant that is normally grown in a greenhouse when temperatures fall below 64 degrees F. according to the American Horticulture Society’s Encyclopedia of garden plants. They grow in frost free areas where they go dormant due to drought and not cold. So you may try digging it and potting it up and keeping it in a garage with the soil kept on the dry side all winter and then replant in spring. You local Master Gardeners may also have first hand experience with this plant.