The only worthwhile cheap plant I found though was this Canna which was helpfully labeled "Canna x generalis", which means it's a hybrid but not named (or they're not telling what the name is). No problem, I thought, I can find the variety later using the power of the Internet.
So far no luck on the ID, but I'm still glad I picked up this beauty!
The yellow-edged petals are incredible! I already had the standard green-leaved, red-flowered canna:
and the yellow-flowered Canna 'Paton':
So now red with yellow edges -- nice!
The leaves are just plain green, which I'm glad for -- less to distract you from the blooms:
I carefully chose this plant out of a dozen or more on the table. I looked for a plant that had only one bloom open (so I knew it was the same variety), had some emerging stalks, but didn't have any spent bloom spikes. I also looked for signs of new growth emerging from the soil.
I chose well, because two weeks later there's still just a single stalk that's done blooming:
Plus there are at least three more stalks growing right now:
I did put the plant into a larger pot as soon as I got it home and fertilized well. Time left in the growing season is relatively short, and I want this guy to get as large as possible before it goes into the garage for the winter.
Although I really don't need more tropical plants to overwinter, cannas are easy, vigorous, and this one is really beautiful, so why not?
If any canna lovers out there have an idea of what variety this is, please let me know!
Update: Just after posting, I think I may have found it: Canna indica 'Madeira' Looks right, although I'm not 100% certain, and it's not Canna x generalis. Help if you can!
.
Great find! I love the yellow edge, too. If you ever have too many plants, I'd love an offset :-).
ReplyDeleteHi Alan - I've just bought some of these as bulbs from Hadeco. They call them "Canna - Red" (duh!). I can't wait for mine to come up and flower - I think they are beautiful, and I love the foliage too.
ReplyDelete