Cannas on the Decking

Canna lilies - love them? Oh yes, I do, particularly the striped leaf varieties. Grow them in the garden? Not so successfully. Ove the last six years I've grown them in large pots on the pond decking. They can then over-winter in my glass-house.

 Mid-summer.
Cannas in Pots

Pieces of yellow and green striped Bengal Tiger have become mixed up with other, plainer varieties. And the red and orange Tropicanna (which was all the rage, back in the gardening day) seems to have gone completely missing. So when exactly did that happen? Perhaps I left a pot out in the frost...

Very good Canna intentions...

Each year I bring them out and place them on the pond decking. Each year I promise them I'll repot them, give them more room, put all the stripes together. Oh yes. I have very, very good Canna intentions! In earlier days I tried planting some in the actual garden, but they didn't thrive. Possibly they didn't get enough watering, or the winter frosts were a little too nippy...

 Think the yellow is a species one. The orange is from the variety Bengal Tiger.
Cannas Flowering

Canna flower colours are richly saturated and very spectacular, but for me that's a bonus. I adore the tall varieties with their strong foliage, though dwarf varieties in the nurseries sound interesting. It might be time I restocked! And I rather like the idea of chocolate coloured leaves. Watch this space...