What shade of red is The President?

17 years ago

I just bought 20 cannas, variety "The President". What kind of red are these? Red tending toward orange, or a cool red, tending toward purple or burgundy? I bought a big pot to grow them in and want to plan what colors will go with them.

Are there any other plants, like annuals, dahlias, that are especially good canna companions?

BTW, I have planted cannas in the ground in the past and have not had much luck: stunted growth and no blooms. It may be because the soil in my front yard (where I would want these) is very hard with solid clay underneath. Is this likely to have been the problem? I'm not up for digging up the bed to do any major soil amending, due to having carpal tunnel syndrome. Hence my thinking about using containers. But I'm now wondering if these will get too tall/wide for containers.

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Comments (5)

azalyssa
17 years ago
Hmm. I'd say President is more of a red with a tinge of orange to it.

I would suspect that your canna problems in the front yard have more to do with a possible lack of sun or adequate water than your soil. I have nothing but clay soil (and dry clay at that) and my cannas do beautifully with regular watering, full, hot AZ sun, and adequate fertilizing, so I doubt it's your soil.

Containers work fine, too. I've got some in containers, too, although they need dividing and thinning much more frequently and will show the effects of crowding much sooner. 20 cannas are a lot and will multiply...why not try some of them in the ground and some in pots?
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
17 years ago
I planted dahlias last year in the same spot where I had put the cannas, and they didn't do that well either. And they were the same variety as the ones I had in the back yard, in looser amended soil, that did well. I'm good about watering. That's why I was thinking the hard soil and clay might be the reason. Shallow-rooted annuals do fine there.

How many hours of sun do they need? In this spot they would not have a full day of sun. But the daylilies next to it do well and bloom heavily; so in my mind I was counting it as full sun. If cannas need more sun than daylilies maybe it isn't really enough.
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watergal
17 years ago
I have clay too and the cannas do fine. They like to be well-fertilized and well-watered. They also like as much sun as you can give them. I have grown them in shade as an experiment, and they were quite small and never flowered.

You can grow them in pots, but all other things being equal, they will grow better in the ground where they have more room for the roots to spread. It's also easier to keep them well-watered in the ground than in pots.
rokal
17 years ago
linnea56,

'The President' should do fine with part sun. Mine get 4 hours of late afternoon sun and have no trouble blooming. I like impatiens and coleus for canna companions.

If your clay is really hard and you don't want to dig or pay someone to till, you can mulch with organic matter like shredded leaves or compost. You may also consider making a raised bed using the lasagna method. Stop by the Soil Forum for lots of good advice.

Good Luck,

Rokal
canna1915
17 years ago
I have a clay soil as well. What type of fertilizer do you use? Would a general plant food - 17 -17 -17 do ok?

Thanks,
Mike