Canna

HART CANNA

25-27 Guildford Road West, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 6PS, UK

What are Canna?

Canna are tender perennials which have very showy exotic looking foliage and large colourful flowers. They are often seen in municipal and public gardens where they form spectacular bedding displays and centerpieces.

Surprisingly, they they are not often grown in private gardens in the UK (though they are often seen in private gardens overseas). Even in municipal displays it is unusual to see more than a few of the more common varieties. They deserve to be much more widely grown, and also to be grown in much more variety.

Canna are very easy to grow. A rhizome started into growth in February/March in a cold greenhouse, and planted out at the beginning of June, will usually be flowering by July. It will then flower continuously all summer and autumn, each stem producing a succession of flower spikes, and new flowering stems growing from the ground. They will continue to flower until cut down by winter frosts.

They also grow extremely well as patio plants in pots, and under glass in greenhouses and conservatories, where they will make a spectacular display. The smaller varieties are particularly suited to pot and patio cultivation, where they will begin to flower early while still quite short.

Canna are very strong and sturdy and do not require staking. They are trouble-free and in the UK have no serious pests (in tropical countries they suffer from the leaf roller caterpillar). They are happy in the sun or in the shade, in dry soil and in damp places. Their only requirements are a reasonably sheltered place, and rich soil or compost.

It is not commonly known that many varieties are available, with flowers in shades of red, orange, pink and yellow. Often flowers are bi-coloured with blotches, spots and streaks. The foliage is also a most attractive feature, and can be shades of purple/bronze, red, green and striped.

Canna were extensively hybridised in the late victorian era, and at that time there were many hundreds of varieties. Due to lack of interest in cannas in the intervening years, many varieties have been lost, and in many cases there now is a degree of uncertainty over what constitutes a particular original named variety. We believe our varieties are true-to-name as far as can be ascertained.