(Alpinia galanga)- This ginger relative makes dense and pungent rhizomes, perfect for Southeast Asian and Arabic cuisine. A beautiful tropical, the plants reach an impressive 6 ½ feet tall. Galangal can be grown outdoors as a frost-sensitive perennial in USDA zones 9-10, but northern gardeners can grow this cold-sensitive plant in a pot, much like ginger or turmeric, bringing it inside when the weather turns cold. Galangal is native to Java; its rhizomes are similar to ginger, but notably stronger in flavor and harder to cut into. Galangal is essential to so many Thai dishes that it is nicknamed Thai Ginger.