Re: Cannas in cool climates
- Subject: Re: Cannas in cool climates
- From: T* &* M* R*
- Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 12:28:10 +1300
Diane Whitehead wrote:
>
> I use cannas as foliage plants in my shady garden. Occasionally one
> will bloom, but not this year.
To my mind there appear to be two distinct lines in Canna breeding,
leading to enhanced flowers on one branch and improved foliage on the
other. Of the ones familar in NZ, most of the ones with showy blooms are
comparatively dwarf of stature which emphasises the flowers, while the
"folige" types are taller and often have very big bold leaves, but
insignificalnt infloresences. in fact many people who grow these latter
types seem to remove the flowers as soon as they appear because they
actually detract from the plant's appearence.
Breeding for improved flowers is by no means a modern phenomenon, as I
remember before I left Kenya nearly fifty years ago cannas were popular
bedding plants with the Nairobi City Council, which would grow them in
very large beds each of one colour only (much like tulips are used here
in parks). The type they had to work with was distinctly short, so one
could look down on them while walking or driving by and get the full
impact of the flowers.
If one lives somewhere with a borderline climate for these plants it
might be more rewarding to concentrate on the foliage types.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand, SW Pacific. 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Time
