Blog: Another sale plant to be hacked up!
I love exotic-looking plants with interesting leaves, and growing cannas (Indian shot) is one of my joys, especially when I find a new variety in a sale.
My interest was sparked after I bought an unnamed variety in a sale at RHS Harlow Carr some years ago. For my initial £2.99 investment for a bare-root rhizome, I now have about 12 sturdy plants. When I saw a potted Tropicanna in Dobbies sale earlier this month for half price at £8.49, I couldn’t resist!
It was still outside (not good practice) but beneath the dead foliage were very healthy shoots. Now, you might say, that’s a lot more than my original buy, and yes, it is. However, the bare rhizomes (big swollen roots) really need to grow for a season before dividing them (unless they’re huge). You can read more in my full guide to cannas and about growing cannas from seed.
Growing cannas – how to divide rhizomes
Potted plants are more established, and if you can see buds or shoots, they will happily divide. Spring is the best time to divide, although I often do mine in late January/February. They grow on in the conservatory, so come to no harm. Division is so easy – get a gardening knife and cut the rhizome into sections, each with two or three buds.
You can also grow cannas from seed, although cultivars will not come true. Plants flower in their second year. I find dividing so much easier – quicker, and you know exactly which variety you have.
Although the showy flowers in red, orange, yellow and pink are wonderful, my main interest is the leaves. It’s just as well, as I’ve had the odd season where flowers have been few because of cool, cloudy summers. The blooms rise on stiff, tall stems right up until the first frosts. I’ve had some flowering into November. They’re the mainstay of the tropical garden and much easier to cart around than huge bananas!
Plants do very well in containers, which is how I grow most of mine, although they occasionally get planted into a sunny bed with ginger. Growing cannas outside requires warm, moist soil. There are even varieties of ‘water canna’ (Canna glauca) that will grow next to the shallow margins of a pond.
Potted guide: Cannas
- Type: Half-hardy perennial.
- Flowering time: June to October outside, longer under glass.
- Planting time: March and April.
- Overwintering: Yes, except in mild areas.
- Height and spread: 90cm to 2.3m x 50cm to 1m.
- Aspect: Full sun for best leaf colour and flower production.
- Watering: Plenty in summer, virtually dry in winter.
Growing cannas – recommended varieties
- Tropicanna: red, pink, yellow, gold, and green striped foliage, tangerine flowers, 1.5m.
- Striata: golden-striped green leaves, orange flowers, 1.9m.
- Tropicanna Black: purple-black leaves, scarlet flowers, 1.5m.
- Phasion: striped leaves, orange flowers, 1.6m.
- Tropicanna Gold: green/gold striped foliage, orange flowers edged in yellow.
- Picasso: green/blue-ish leaves, yellow flowers spotted with red, 1.5m.
- Wyoming: bronze leaves, orange flowers, 2.3m.
- Durban: pink/green/red foliage, orange flowers, 90cm.
- Monique: streaky copper, cerise and plum-red leaves, salmon-pink flowers, 90cm.
- Stuttgart: cream/green variegation, peachy-orange flowers, 90cm.
- Pretoria: green/yellow leaves, orange flowers, 160cm.
You’ll find a wide selection at Farmer Gracy.
