Fancy introducing a splash of some striking, tropical jungle-type flora to your garden, that makes an extra loud statement? If yes, then I have just the plant for you.
Easy to grow and care for, flowering all through the summer no matter how much temperatures may soar, reaching heights from a ‘look-at-me’ four-five feet upto a towering, impossible-to-miss 10-12ft, with broad leaves that whisper secrets in the wind, the majestic Canna lily is exactly what you need.
Indigenous to Central and South America, although some botanists challenge this — claiming instead that these lush plants are so well-established in Africa and Asia that they must be indigenous there too — canna lilies, with their edible, starchy, rhizomatous roots, have to be one of the marvels of the plant world. As an added bonus, their nectar-rich flowers are adored by our very own purple sunbirds.
Individual plants, when in full leaf but not actually in bloom, can, and often are, mistaken for juvenile banana plants because of the size, shape and spread of their rather fascinating leaves. These leaves with their distinct central veins, may be anywhere from bright spring green, a glaucous blue-green, a dark emerald green, through to a dull and distinct purple.
Voluptuous canna lilies and their big leaves can give your garden a bold, jungle-looking look
They have a bronze glow, can be a deep, dark crimson hue or, all depending on variety, may flaunt a variegated palette of greens, creams and reds, with an overlay of yellow tones. They are beautiful plants both in and out of flower.
The tall flower spikes, many of them with blooms closely resembling sky-high gladioli, are commonly found in shades of luminous red-tinged orange, pale to dazzling yellows and gold, warm shades of peaches and creams, and the ultra-pretty bi-coloured reds and yellows.
These rhizomatous perennials are sun lovers which, unlike so many other garden flowers, absolutely thrive in the combination of heat and humidity prevalent throughout the plains and coastal regions of the country from late spring through until mid- or even late autumn, corresponding with the canna lily-growing season.
The rhizomes should be planted about two feet apart with the upper part of the rhizome — this must have a clearly defined growing shoot —covered with no more than one inch of soil.
Whilst canna lilies are thirsty plants, their growing position must be well drained. One thing they will not tolerate is stagnant water around their rhizomes. If water is allowed to accumulate, during the monsoons for instance, the rhizomes will rot away to nothing.
A deeply dug, sandy loam type of soil, with lots and lots of old, well-rotted, preferably organic, animal manure mixed in and/or plenty of homemade compost, is their ideal growing medium.
In our climate, canna lilies can be left in the ground all year round. Some gardeners prefer to dig up the rhizomes, after cutting all plant stems back to approximately two inches in height, in November. These are stored in dry river sand [not saltish sea sand], until re-planting them in spring. This gives the rhizomes a rest, and frees up garden beds for cultivating the winter and spring seasonal varieties of colourful, short-lived, flowering plants, which are so popular here.
Irrespective of the growing method, rhizomes should be dug up and divided every two to three years. If left completely undisturbed and undivided, rhizomes become overcrowded, which adversely affects their flowering potential.
Single plants of canna lilies can be grown in very large pots. These flowers are widely grown, with often spectacular results, in public and private parks all around the world and are a splendid architectural plant on the home garden scale.
The most commonly available varieties found in nurseries throughout the country are:
Canna indica — Green or bronze foliage with brilliant red/vermillion flowers. Height: four-five feet.
Canna iridiflora — Reddish pink or orange flowers above bluish-green or green foliage. Height: 10-12 feet.
Canna mixed hybrids — Foliage of various hues, including variegated flowers in surprising shades of red, yellow and bi-colours. Height: averaging six-eight feet.
Canna lilies can also be grown from seed, generally sown in early to mid-spring. Seed is large and should be soaked in water for 24-48 hours before sowing in pots/trays of top quality, seed-sowing medium. With optimum care and conditions, germination is rapid, seedling growth quick, and the resultant plants just may surprise you by flowering in their very first year.
Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened
Published in Dawn, EOS, July 17th, 2022
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