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grullablue

cannas

grullablue
12 years ago

Where is a good place to see and order different types of cannas? I've seen lots of beautiful images...but usually don't know what I'm looking at. I really like the burgundies, purples...etc.

I'm considering giving them a try with my basjoos this year.

Thanks!

Angie

Comments (13)

  • tropicalzone7
    12 years ago

    I used to get my cannas at local nurseries by me, but they are way too expensive! Now I get them as bulbs off ebay. There are some sellers that definitely sell them at a great price!
    Watch out for the ones that have different color leaves because I have noticed that a lot of them have the canna virus (I'm not going to get into what that is all about, but its basically a virus that almost every canna now has and it spreads to other cannas (and only cannas). It weakens the plant and kills it, and there is no cure. But if you plant your cannas outside when the weather is warm and if you keep them growing well, the virus shouldnt be too much of a threat.
    Also, avoid dwarf cannas. I have no luck with them in the ground (they stay only 1-3 feet tall and aren't as vigorous as the larger cannas).
    Good luck!
    -Alex

  • rusty_blackhaw
    12 years ago

    A good garden center should have a decent selection of canna tubers, reasonably priced (I just picked up some for $1.59 each at a local nursery). Potted ones already growing will cost quite a bit more but might be worth it if you want a couple more weeks in flower.

  • birdgardner
    12 years ago

    I ordered from tropicalexoticplants dot com and was happy with what I received. Sturdy plants about 15 inches tall and root masses the size of my fist. No virus that I could see and the seller says he tissue cultures virus-free plants.

    They were about $6 each with shipping $6 for four plants, more expensive than what Eric says, but I never see tubers sold cheaply in NJ any way, and I had more choice in variety and got a colocasia as well.

    The only thing odd about this seller is that he sells from about three different web addresses, same page content, which can be a warning sign but I had absolutely no problems.

  • sprout_wi
    12 years ago

    Angie- Here is where I go to dream...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Karchesky Cannas

  • Blondmyk
    12 years ago

    Wow sprout wi, That IS an incredible place to go and dream! Thanks for sharing the link!

    Mykey

  • sunsetsammy
    12 years ago

    I agree with the above poster - watch out for canna virus.

    I had a decent size collection of different cannas that I had to pretty much chuck because of the virus.

    I can still remember the first sick canna I brought home. I was thinking "hey look how neat those leaves look". Then it spread to almost all the plants.

    Start with some known clean plants. Be very wary of any new cannas you bring home. The ones at the big box stores all look sick to me.

    Even the local Mom and Pop nursery in my area insists on keeping a whole bunch of sick cannas in their stock for the past several years. Nobody buys them because they look so terrible and they probably infect all the nice looking new stock that passes through.

    I'm no expert on canna virus but if you love cannas like I do, learn to recognize healthy plants vs. sick ones. Isolate the suspect plants and get rid of them.

  • grullablue
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks! I ended up picking up some canna bulbs at a local "big box" farm store and throwing a couple in the ground. I figured I may continue to read up on them this year, and find a place to buy some healthy ones....and jump in later this year or next spring.

    I had seen my favorite, tropicanna, at a local, very well known nursery near by. I've read up on the canna virus, and these appeared to be virused to me. Although, I couldn't be sure, as they were also inside, and I know cannas love a lot of sun. So perhaps it was lack of sunlight....but they showed the signs that I've read about as far as the canna virus goes. I came home empty handed, no matter how badly I wanted a tropicanna!

    So, I bought these generic "giant canna" bulbs....I'm getting a nice clump of them coming up. Green, faintly striped leaves, and they're popping up like crazy! I'm eager to see how big they get and how they look...but I did get them started rather late.

    But, I want nothing more than a bed of cannas (and my basjoos) so we'll see what the rest of this year and next brings me.....I may go back to that nursery and see if those tropicannas are still there and see how they look. I'm just curious....but happy with how my generic ones are looking.

    Angie

  • grullablue
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Here's my one canna....lol
    I'm happy with what I got for now.....will hold me over until I get some really neat ones! (bengal tiger, tropicanna...and any red/purply ones....)
    Wasn't planted very long ago, so it's really grown like a weed! (it's right next to my chicken coop run, so that's chicken feet in the background! They're always watching everything I do!)

  • grullablue
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I found one! I was at a local home improvement store on the 4th, to pick up another spirea to finish off our deck, and there they were! Ran over there, and they were beautiful, big, and I thought the price was quite reasonable, so I brought one home. It's 'Australia,' I don't know much about them, but it's a beautiful dark burgundy foliage, which I love, and they are big and look healthy...although I wouldn't really know. I looked at photos of striped ones that show virus, but these are not striped, so if they are virused, I wouldn't have knowledge on what to look for on solid colored ones. They had several, I picked up a good sized one, that looked great, and had two large rolled up leaves ready to spread open...it's just beautiful. I planted it today. It's been trying to spread in its pot, there are two large stalks coming out of the pot (kinda like my pic of the small green canna above), and some small "toothpick" babies popping up. I'm just in love! Next year I hope to get more....like the tropicannas or red stripe, bengal tiger...I like intrigue, but now that I have this Australia, I think it's good enough color wise.

    Oh am I in love with these plants! If only my basjoos would start to take off....

  • grullablue
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have wondered....perhaps someone would know. The virus. Does it appear later, as the plant matures, or pretty quickly? I don't know what "kind" of canna this green one is. Not sure if the leaves are supposed to have the striping on them? Now that I have another canna, that looks absolutely perfect, I should keep my eyes open.

  • eclayne
    12 years ago

    I've been trying Cannas from rhizomes for three years now with poor results re: bloom. By the end of the season Some get to 3' or so but no bloom. This year I bought a tropicana in late June, better late than never, and it's about to bloom. Between my shorter growing season and not watering every day I suppose I'll need to pot some up early, but that's more effort than I'm used to for tropicals.

  • grullablue
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I must have gotten pretty lucky....my store-bought rhizome canna is blooming beautifully now, an orange and yellow flower, it's quite pretty. I have a beautiful pic of the flower, but haven't yet uploaded it to photobucket (annoying, sometimes, to have to load it there first...) But here is a pic I do have, that shows both of my cannas....

  • User
    12 years ago

    Looking good there, blue!!!
    And I do declare, it looks like every one of your girls like the canna also.....

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