So you like canna in your garden...
>> Wednesday, September 14, 2016 –
canna
I love growing cannas. Their large, mostly upright leaves and bright, towering blooms have such a tropical feel. Here's a shot from a week or two ago that shows the red canna blooms rising above everything, with upright foliage (just below the deck in the photo), and more in the foreground:
In St. Louis cannas are borderline cold-hardy, which means that sometimes they can be left in the ground over the winter. My own experience says that this works best in warmer microclimates -- it won't work everywhere in the garden. Near the bakery in Maplewood there is a garden that seems to have just the right conditions for canna to thrive...
...and I do mean THRIVE!
Clearly these are not dug and replanted every year -- you'd need a barn to store them! (Click for larger versions of the next two images)
They are planted along a railroad track, and must get good winter sun exposure on this southeast facing slope.
The tracks cut the street, forcing it to dead end, but on the other side of the tracks...
...you can still enjoy this planting!
Using satellite maps I can see that this house does not have a back yard, so this is the only space they have to garden. They surely are using it well!
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Wow! That mass planting looks like it is in the tropics but it's not...
Oh my gosh, that's impressive.
WOW! I love that. Reminds me of the (smaller, yet still huge) Canna and ginger boarder of the parking lot at Cistus.
Wow, those canna plantings are insane! Definitely not what I would expect in St Louis, esp. knowing that these are left in the ground. Cannas must be hardier than people give them credit for!
Your cannas are beautiful. The Maplewood cannas are so pretty with so many of them. It really makes a statement. I am getting closer and closer to buying some cannas next year. My mom used to have beautiful huge cannas in her garden. Every fall she dug them and all of the dahlias out and stored them in bushel baskets in very cool place against the basement wall inside. I had always avoided cannas because of memories of the project it was to dig them and bring them all in. Next year I am going to roll the dice and give it a try and plant some along the south facing wall of the house.
I remember that first picture as I commented on the splash of red color...I thought it was a geranium blooming on the patio... so glad you set me right. The display along the railroad tracks is quit something. What a fabulous display.
Wow - it must feel like walking through a corn field to walk through those massive leaves, with the flowers towering over you. Very impressive!