You dug up Gingers. Probably White Butterfly. They are hardy in your area. You described the leaves of the ginger plant. It is fragrant and it blooms white.

Cannas are not fragrant, and white ones are rare. In fact, they aren't really white. They are pale yellow that fade to whitish in the sun.

Is this what it looks like:

{{gwi:538094}}

{{gwi:538096}}

That's Butterfly Ginger, with foliage a lot like a canna, so it's easy to make the mistake. For me the gingers don't start blooming til about Sept. Cannas start in June.

I also have this peach ginger with a little different fragrance:

{{gwi:538098}}

The blooms resemble Butterflies, thus the nickname. They are in the Hedychium family.

Enjoy the fragrance and watch for Hummingbird Moths who love them, as seen in the first picture above, taken from my gardens.

NancyAnn

Actually those type specifically smell wonderful. in japan they use the rhizome for starch and the leaves for cooking things .its long forgotten. You have a true treasure . i live in Hawaii and im trying to get that same one for my garden but without success . im happy for you my dear .