YORKTON - The new seed catalogues are providing very interesting reading on these snowy days! A few days ago we received the Lindenberg catalogue, (visit them at www.lindenbergseeds.ca).
Lindenberg’s was always a favourite of Mom’s, and I can picture her sitting at the table in her warm, cozy kitchen, happily going through the catalogue and starting to make her gardening list for spring!
The catalogue features some beautiful cannas, and we know many gardeners who successfully keep their canna tubers over winter to enjoy for another season. But for those gardeners who have never tried them, they deserve your consideration!
What have they got going for them? They are a big, showy plant, making a real statement in our plantings. They don’t require any special attention from us to keep blooming all summer. And you know, even the leaves are stunning: they are big, tropical-looking leaves, and come in various colours: green, a stand-out bronze colour, and even variegated. They are elegant and make a statement all on their own!
While we could plant them in the garden, cannas also do well in containers. That’s a real plus because if we want to get them started earlier and keep them indoors till it’s safe to take them outside, they will be perfectly happy in a container. So, let’s chat about planting them in this way.
Cannas grow from tubers, and we should choose large, firm tubers. Plant them in rich, loose soil, about three inches from the surface. We should plant them with the eyes up. Here’s something to remember: the number of eyes will reflect how big our canna will grow later on, so we should always look for tubers with at least three eyes. More would be a plus!
Be sure to choose a good, sturdy container that will be large enough to handle the canna plant. It will grow to about three feet high or more, so we need something substantial to accommodate a large plant.
It takes about three weeks for canna tubers to sprout. They will be very happy if they have full sun, at least four hours a day, although they don’t mind partial shade. They are easy-care although we could give them a mild fertilizer (5-10-10) two or three times over the growing season. We should dead-head as needed so that they keep blooming. So think “cannas” for beauty in flowers and foliage, especially in containers!
Container gardening is a great thing. It is something everyone can do, even if we don’t have traditional gardens or yards. Plus, container gardening gives great flexibility. We can plant our containers according to colours or favourite plants or whatever we choose, and containers of different sizes look great in groupings. Another “plus” is that they can be moved around to give interesting new looks, or to follow the sun. They are “energy efficient” for gardeners because we can easy weed and water them. So this spring, consider cannas in containers, and also, let’s promise ourselves that we will try at least one new plant!
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their continued great work with local news! Gardeners, see what’s new with the hort society at www.yorktonhort.ca Look at those seed catalogues and start planning for this season! Have a good week!
