Canna's on the move

I got mine via E-bay, Sal, but Stuttgart is another matter. It's supposedly generally available as a Rhizome. but seed???:D Also because of the kind it is. in colour variation. it's also likely to revert to green only, which makes growing it by seed a bit dicey in getting a true form.

 

Although I've bought my Canna seeds through E-Bay I'm still a bit wary as to whether or not my seeds will be true. Hopefully each with have been pollinated by the same variety for each. I suppose it's a bit like tomatoes and the F1 varieties not coming true from seed. They reckon that only the Species Canna will come true from seed. Myself, I'm not too worried about my seeds not coming true as any deviation will be interesting. :D

 

Oh, come on, Bilbo, you just know you won'be able to resist......go for it!!!!:D:yess:

 

Well, I guess we've just gained another member of the Canna Gang, Sal!!:D If we all keep each other up to date on how we do next year that will be great.:yess:

The information I've got on Canna "Stuttgart" is:

STUTTGART; [syn. C. Striata] Tall. This potentially beautifully cultivar is derived from C. Heliconifolia. The foliage is long and slender in pale sea-green with irregular silver and white markings. However, it is rarely seen without scorch marks. To avoid bad scorching, it really needs to be grown in light shade and with adequate moisture, and even then it sometimes succumbs. Growing to about 2m [6 and a half feet], it is eventually topped by small, apricot flowers. Its variability means that it is prone to reversion to the plain green form. Adequate stock should always be grown to allow for selection of good forms. It was imported to the USA by the late Bob Hayes of Brooklyn Botanic Gardens from the Stuttgart Botanic Gardens.

It is a nice looking plant, Sal, but, unfortunately, it's an unstable variety not guaranteed to keep true even in plant form.

My information is that after nicking the seeds you soak them for 48 hours in warm water, is that right, Guys???:D

 

I was meandering through Hart's site and they have Canna Stuttgart in stock and for sale..............but the price is a bit steep at £12 for a rhiizome, Sal. Too be honest, my garden is given over to herbaceous borders and a cottage style gardening and so my available space for Cannas is limited. That's one of the reasons why they're all in pots so that I can put them in places where pots would be suitable in various parts of the garden.

The virus is a worry for us all, I guess, as it's still present in stocks sold by Nurseries and Retailers according to Harts. We'll just have to be careful where we get are stocks from. Opinion seems to be that the virus isn't carried in seed but, for me, the Jury is still out on that.

My first Canna I bought many years ago, before the virus was present, in a packet from a Retailer on the High Street. That was in the days when I was just starting to turn the Builders nigfhtmare of compressed earth, mud, bricks, timber and plastic sheeting into the semblance of a garden. I hadn't a clue about bulbs, rhizomes or what a Canna was or needed to be kept alive. Needless to say, the Canna only lasted a season!! I'm like you though, Sal, looking forward to the Spring and what it will bring:D

 

A question.................According to Jungle Seeds recommendations I should sterilise the potting compost by putting it in the Micro Wave on High for ten minutes before sowing the Canna seeds. Also they recommend boiling the water before wetting the compost with it, after sterilising the pots. Has anyone done this when sowing their Canna seeds:D

 

Thanks, Pete, that's what I wanted to hear!:D I've put the seed in the Fridge for the moment. Should I sow now or in Spring???:D