CANNA 2019

Semi-tender perennials. As John said, treat them like Dahlias, and you won’t go far wrong

 

Cleopatra was on my wish list a couple of years ago but it was disappointing in a friend's garden and it seems to be highly susceptible to virus. The plants I have seen look awful
Scrungee, I would "tuck them in somewhere frost free...." Still a lot of winter to come yet ...the real cold hasnt arrived.
Cannas are mostly perennial FC......however they are a must in the garden I think
Yes, as Freddie said tender perennials

 

I was thinking maybe 2ft too. Cheers John

 

Have to say though that here cannas make large "rootballs" even from first year planting. I give them a metre spacing usually but, as said earlier, some cannas occupy several square metres.
For me they are individual specimen plants and those that occupied say a square metre last year will require double that this year. I regularly divide mine
I suggest they are grown in containers to give an idea of their size and then planted into the garden in mid summer.
My plants are of the tall to medium tall sort.....I have no experience thus far about the dwarf varieties.

 

I plant mine in a group of 3 about 2 feet apart . These are the ones I grew from seed about 6 years ago , Canna Tropicana red. I think this is a generic name for non specific Cannas . Thye grow 6 feet to the flower tip . It cost me £0.99 for the seeds on Ebay , £0.15 a year
From Harts I bought Canna Bengal Tiger rhizomes ( it has a few other names ), these are still going strong .

 

Hiya Harry
I did try growing from seed last year. I did all the right things, I think, and not one germinated I’ll buy plants this time.
Throwing this open, can anyone recommend a large flowered yellow Canna, growing to around 4ft?

 

FC.....garden centres will supply cannas but, as said earlier, they are plants heavily affected by virus, worldwide. It is essential to buy virus free stocks.
A local nursery had to destroy their entire stock because of virus.
It is important not to import any virus affected canna into your garden...the virus will spread to the others therein.
Seed sown should be safe, I assume.
Freddie, consult the Harts canna website. I think this is the only grower of virus free stock

 

Treat yourself FC.....buy a rhizome. If started early (in the greenhouse) it should flower in its first year. Mine always have done

 

Pretty sure they will, if sown early enough. Just don’t expect them to reach their full potential though. Also, they’re not the easiest to get going. Good seed is important. The ones I got last year were off the bay, duff seed...probably.

 

@Fat Controller , just for your info, I bought these several years back...
CANNA BRASILIENSIS SEEDS - Plant World Seeds

They germinated well, and flowered in their first year. They were though disappointingly small, the flowers measuring about an inch across. If you do decide to grow from seed, I’m pretty sure the time is fast approaching, just saying

 

Got a nice glass of Chardonnay going myself In my roundabout way, I think I was saying choose wisely, if growing from seed. That said, Harry (and no doubt others) seems to have done rather well