Cannas

[andy]

I'm going to greatly enhance my tropical patio this year with the addition of lots of different types of canna to be grown in pots.

I currently have 3 species of musa including the massive musa maurelii, pomegranites, fatsia, plumbego and dwarf bamboo.

I've just stumbled across this web site www.hartcanna.com/catalog.htm which sells some stunners.

So, can anyone recommend a good mix of varieties ?. I plan on having some of all sizes and colours.

[Dutchy]

Hi Andy,
I grew Magic Fire which was absolutely stunning. I grew it for its dark leaves. (In a pot well drained, but not allowing to dry out, half shade) The flowers of Canna are always somewhat of a disappointment. They droop easily, the rain makes a mess of them, there are a lot on one stem but the individual blooms do not last as long as you would want, etc. Having said that, there are always plenty of flowers and the colours are smashing.
I used mine as a backdrop for other vibrant colours because the leaves are so good.
I have seen a mixed border where a bright green leaved canna with a deep dark purplish red flower was combined with a dark(red) leaved annual ( Aurac???) and Tagetes with bright orange flowers underneath. Garish but such a perk me up.
I suppose it just depends on what you want. I have to say that my canna's did not get through last winter. The shed was probably to cold and wet this time. They are not the easiest plants to store during winter.
Get them from a good grower because due to popularity some growers do not pay proper attention to the sort and you might end up with a pink flower when you ordered a yellow.
Dutchy

[Deleted]

There are too many wonderful ones to choose from there Andy - I would want them all ;D

[beejay]

I seemed to remember seeing cannas in the trial ground at Wisley some while ago Andy so looked them up on the RHS site. This is a list of the AGM's which may or may not be of some help making a decision!

'Alaska' (H3)
'Amundsen' (H3)
'Annaeei' (H3)
'Aphrodite' (H3)
C. × ehemanii (H3)
'Erebus' (H3)
'General Eisenhower' (H3)
'Ingeborg' (H3)
'Louis Cayeux' (H3)
'Musifolia' (H3)
'Mystique' (H3)
'Picasso' (H3)
'Ra' (H3)
'Roi Soleil' (H3)
'Russian Red' (H3)
'Schwäbische Heimat' (H3)
'Shenandoah' (H3)
TROPICANNA ('Phasion') [PBR] (H3)
'Verdi' (H3)
'Whithelm Pride' (H3)
'Wyoming' (H3)
'Striata' (H3)

[sweetleaf]

I had a great display from my one canna "The President" I couldnt beleive how long it flowered and how many individual blooms, ;D Impressed? Definitely.