Cannas - 10 things you didn't know

I got a cutting of one from a friend in the Spring and it quickly rooted and already has two sideshoots.

 

Just catching up on this thread, so thank you Peter et al for your contributions on it. Cannas are something I'd like to try next year to give part of the garden that is already quite 'foliage orientated' an additional exotic look. The ground in this part of the garden also remains moist most summers (this last one was an exception, but only because we had hardly any rain in June and July!). Would it be suitable to try a couple of them there?

 

I'm a newbie to Cannas, but AFAIK you can plant Cannas in the water, so I reckon "damp" will be just fine.

Mine have grown like fury from seed. No idea if I will be able to continue to give them light sufficient to keep growing - 30cm tall, 3 weeks after germinating. Potted on from 3" to 4" only 7 days ago and already they need 5" pots. But ... having said that ... I think you do need to start them as early as you can [then manage them] so that they have a chance to flower in their first year - but I would caution against sowing them at the end of September as I did!!

 

I'll buy rhizomes next Spring, rather than try with seeds as I really don't have room for that (not with everything else I have on the go as well), but will follow what Peter has said about making sure the rhizomes haven't dried out.

 

Ah, good plan, that should get you to flowering in first year. Need virus-free stock too - I think the preference is to get "plants" rather than "rhizomes"for that - as the grower can then see the plant in leaf and check for virus. Bumps up the cost-per-plant though I expect (and if you got rhizomes you could easily quarantine them, starting them off in pots, to the same effect as the grower - and send-back any duff ones)

 

Thanks.

That one is "swarzkopf", its gets a bit tree like with age, and branches relativity freely.

Some others form nice rounded mounds and others are solitary rosettes.

 

I sowed my Canna tropicana from Jungle seeds on 30 Jan this year, in a light box. They germinated on 7 Feb and flowered on Aug 16.

Kristen - I think yours have had a very early start. :D In the past I have started seeds very early in a lightbox, and when they outgrew that I put them on a window sill where they continued to grow well. I have a light meter and the light on a southfacing window sill is not too bad in winter, but as soon as you move just a few inches into the room the light falls off very quickly.

 

I've propped the lighting rig up on a couple of bricks to get it high enough not to burn the Cannas. Only 6 - 7 months to go until Last Frost. I'll be fine ... I've got plenty of bricks ... :D

 

I used to grow Cleopatre Pete ...I have just done (literally a few weeks ago) a batch of seeds I had stored for over 10 years. They germinated easily, amazing plants They are already large enough for outdoor planting. Hopefully they will produce more fresh supplies of seeds

 

" The soil should always be damp, rich and with an open structure"

What does open structure mean?

 

I take "open structure" to mean lots of small air holes. These allow it to drain well let oxygen get to the roots. Adding sharp sand or Perlite should help.

 

Thanks PeterS thought it could mean that but ya never know lol

 

Nice one Peters,Thank you.
What part is eddibale ( not that I am planing on it- seems too dear in here)

I can now understand why they are so pricy,
Back in Israel they were in used as other plants in masses, but the beautiful varities were mostly for export, and could not be found at the garden centre.
( there is a nursery there that breed them in tissue culture to prevent any viruses)

I now understand why they are used more as a focal point.

 

Hi Lemontree

I presume you can eat the underground rhizome, just as you can buy ginger rhizomes in a supermarket - and eat them. Incidentally if you buy a ginger rhizome you can plant it and it will grow - I have done it. But the edible ginger won't flower in this country, unlike the ornamental ones that you get in a garden centre.

 

Thank you Peter ,
It was what I assumed, i did work in many gardens that had the ginger plant for decoration, and i planted lots , I do not think it was the same variety that actually used for the ginger that we used. but the plants had the same smell as ginger.