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Cannas

Glorious comeback kids

annas are really old-fashioned The plants can grow from one to like growing in large pots. They need
plants, and though never two metres high, with huge floppy moist well drained soil, but manage
Coff the scene, have made a blooms on the ends of the flowering to survive with very little care. An
spectacular comeback in the last stalks. Some of the plants have American grower states that they are
five years. Could this be due to good smaller sticklike flowers, but they “deer and critter resistant”.
rainy summers, or a post-COVID all produce profusely. The dramatic
need for their flashy coloured blooms leaves grow into a large clump about They are often planted outside
and huge generous leaves? 80 centimetres in diameter, and can the legendary walls of suburban
be anything from bright green, dark Johannesburg, giving me great joy
Cannas are not really lilies, despite green, brown, maroon to striped lime whenever I see them. A landscaping
being called this. They belong to a green and yellow, maroon and green, friend planted them in a huge swathe
similar family as Irises, and grow from or patchy brown and white. The of different colours next to a lake,
a rhizome instead of a bulb. This is flowers have good names, and one where they were reflected, and gave
a long thick root growing horizontally, South African variety called ‘Pretoria’ double the delight. I hope they stay,
with shoots growing upwards out (also known as ‘Bengal Tiger’) is a despite being exotic. They certainly
of it, whereas lilies have smallish tall plant with strong orange flowers live up to this description, and the
round bulbs more like onions. They on brown flower stems and wonderful flowers really do look as though
are related to ginger, turmeric and lime green and yellow striped leaves. they belong on Carmen Miranda’s
Strelitzias. Cannas are indigenous to Colours range from fuschia pink, to wonderful headdresses.
tropical countries like Mexico, Central spotty yellow, pale cream and peach,
America and the Caribbean, but have scarlet, purple, maroon and more.
been part of the world gardening They look good along a wall, or at
scene since the 1860s. the back of a wide border, and they Gill Butler

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