Canna 2012

Aah, cheers Kristen, I wondered what it was called, just say Canna "War" on John's lable.



I'll leave it out then, its quite sheltered

 

It did cross my mind !

 

Now you know zigs aren't that enthusiastic about flowers

Can you eat Cannas? Or will you end up sitting on the can all night?

 

Or even in a wooden box ??

I honestly don't know, but I'm sure I read on Karchesky's website/blog somewhere that one variety at least has edible rhizomes, I may be wrong though....so I wouldn't chance it just yet Zigs

 

There was a programme about eating cannas a while back , when they interviewed the survivors they thought they were very tasty

Joking aside , I have read that they are edible , I think ?

 

Yes the canna edilus is edible , I`ve got one in my garden , but is the one with the virus , will I get the virus if I eat it?

 

My cannas came today. Nice personal touch with them too

Not bad only took just over a week here

 

Just like how I got my order from them earlier this year, with the hand written thank you note, makes all the difference

 

I bought a digitised font of my hand writing some years ago - which was fun for a bit

 

Armandii: "Kristen, I wish you'd use a computer - I can't read your handwriting"
Kristen: "I did ..."

:Heehee:

 

I've got about a dozen Cannas in pots that are still fine (and appear to be still growing) despite frosts, but I'll be unable to keep them going over winter, so the cold is going to get them eventually.

So is it best to leave them out and let the frost get them ASAP, or keep them going for as long as possible?

 

Can you take them in (into garage or somesuch?) just on frosty nights?

I would definitely keep them going as long as possible. The longer they are "dormant" the more chance of rot, bugs, etc.

Can you get them kick-started early? If you can warm the pots (bottom heat - reptile mat maybe?) and get them going so they are well sprouted (but protected) at Last Frost then they should flower earlier next year.

I wouldn't leave them in pots outside - the pots will freeze more readily than if they were in the soil - cold will be all-around a pot, of course :(

 

They've been going in my garage on frosty nights, but that restricts which car we can get in there. As it's so much faff shifting the pots (which are clay and I don't want to freeze if I forget to shift them), I wondered about carefully lifting them out and packing them a couple of lined plastic veggie crates. Do I also start letting the soil dry out a bit, and do I actually have to get the tops frosted off sometime to get them dormant whilst packed away?


P.S. Do these seeds from T&M sound like a good buy at £1.49 for 15 seeds and buy 2 get one free? http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flow...nnial-seeds/canna-indica-tandm-hybrids/7110TM (to be used for growing some plants to sell on)

 

You can just cut the tops off, no need to wait for the frost. I think the thing about "blackened by frost" is that is, for most folk, the trigger that there is no more to be had from them and thus they can be lifted, if required.

In October they will survive a short-duration frost, and carry on ... which I expect is where the "blackened" comes from - that's a proper frost which does that!

There might be some benefit in lifting with the tops on (or most/some of) so that the plant can pull the goodness down to the roots, but I'm speculating on that point.

I just stuff mine in veggie crates and water them now-and-again, but that isn't the recommended method - I suspect that involves treating with sulphur and all sorts. Plus mine are in an unheated conservatory, so I can "keep them going" to an extent.

On GW last week Monty cut the top off his (frosted) Cannas and stuffed them in an old plastic M.P.compost bag and said "that's it for the Winter" - surprised that they don't need to "breathe" - but it presumably works for him.