Re: Overwintering Cannas and Hedychium
- Subject: Re: Overwintering Cannas and Hedychium
- From: d* f*
- Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001 00:36:39 -0700 (PDT)
Tim and Diane's comments regarding blooming Cannas
makes me realize that I was probably fooled into
thinking them left in the ground, and that they were
most likely always forced for bloom, (These were
mostly estate or high end retail gardens I was
seeing). It makes me appreciate the efforts made to
grow these elsewhere. If truth be told, the flowers
are often a nuisance if one prefers their flowers
neat; most Cannas have the bad habit of retaining
torn/browning/dead flowers, and usually look too messy
to me without almost daily grooming. That is another
reason that I prefer C. ehmannii and C. indica blooms,
they are more graceful and drop cleanly. All are
ridiculously easy to bloom in most of California, and
often remain evergreen and flowering through winter in
sheltered situations. It is nearly impossible to keep
the snails and slugs off them, and perfect foliage
often demands eternal vigilance or baiting. Never
plant them next to Algerian Ivy or Agapanthus in
California, you'll never see an undamaged leaf...
Some of the Canna hybrids are beautiful in bloom, C.
Panache is one that I wish I had in my own garden. C.
ehmannii can get to be 12 feet tall here, and C.
edulis is almost never without bloom or setting seed
pods.
I'm guessing, Tim, that Alpinia zerumbet would not
normally bloom for you, and is probably best used as a
container plant in your location, as it is extremely
slow in growth to recover from a hard freeze.
As for Roscoea and Cautleya, I've only ever grown
Cautleya spicata, after seeing a whole hillside of it
in bloom in July up at the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden,
and the combination of showy red and yellow bloom, and
ability to bloom in deep shade recommend it, as well
as its hardiness beyond true mediterannean climates,
it goes deciduous after blooming, regardless of
climate. The shorter height(3~4') compared to most
Hedychiums, and quickness to form clumps also make it
perfect for massing in beds, as backdrop for
perennials or other subtropicals.
The Roscoeas in bloom always seemed too ephemeral for
me, not to mention the danger of slug attacks, to the
same degree as most Hostas need extra protection here.
The flowers are jewel like in late spring, and look
very nice in a woodland type garden, but they leave a
decided seasonal hole in more subtropical conditions.
I saw them being used quite a bit in Seattle gardens
this summer, and there were 3 or 4 species being grown
and sold at Heronswood.
In passing, the group might enjoy seeing the
LittleandLewis.com web site, a landscape design and
artist studio/outdoor display gardens near Seattle
which contains an exuberance of tropical foliage such
as Cannas, Gunnera, Hedychiums and others in wonderful
displays, as well as their art for the garden.
Definitely a site worth checking out, or worth a visit
when in Seattle.
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