Canna viruses

[WestCoastGal]

We decided to add some canna to our landscape this past year and while researching varieties I learned that there has been a problem with canna viruses infecting a number of the varieties. I just came across this video segment from "Oklahoma Gardening" that discusses the five viruses and how to recognize them and how they are working to producing virus free canna.

http://www.oklahomagardening.okstate.edu/category/seg/2013/060813-virus

[Palm crazy]

Thanks for the link. I had so many canna back in 2008 that were effected by this virus, I had to get rid of all of them. I am just now starting to regrow cannas again.

Here is one that has not been effected….http://www.oldhousegardens.com/display.aspx?prod=SP44

If you don’t have this one and have the room for it, I would not wait to long since this company sells out of this canna by mothers day every year. They don’t ship till early April, but you can still place an order.

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks Palm Crazy. The color on that one is gorgeous. We currently have only Canna intrigue which is similar in flower shape, apricot in color and has purple-green leaves. I'll show my husband their webpage and see what he thinks. We love that they attract hummingbirds.

Being new to canna and knowing there was a virus affecting them (well now we know there are several of them actually), I was a bit nervous bringing any into our garden so thought the video from the Oklahoma State U.'s horticultural department showing healthy, and unhealthy plants with the virus, was a help knowing what to look for. Sorry you lost all of yours, sure you had your favorites too. But replanting can be fun too giving you an all new canvas to work with.

I assume based on where you live you had to routinely dig up the rhizomes at the end of the growing season? Fortunately we are warm enough during the winter to leave them in the ground. They are already coming up and with weather in the 70s expected this week/weekend I should see quite a bit of growth on them.

[Palm crazy]

I don’t dig any of mine up but have found that the dwarf canna can died here if it gets to cold, the same with canna durban, all the mid to tall varieties are very hardy up here. Good luck with yours and hope you’ll show pics when they bloom. They don’t start growing back here till mid-late spring.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Early bird gets the worm or in this case the rare canna….they just SOLD OUT for 2014, sorry if anyone was left out, but thats the power of Palm Talk people….

For those lucky enough to act quickly you will not be disappointed by this awesome canna, flower are big and hang down like bells. They multiply fast so sharing is possible.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Palm crazy

[WestCoastGal]

Crap and that would be me sitting there without the worm! Showed hubby the page and he said we'll do something in March. Well....guess we'll be doing something else. I should have just ordered some on my own.

I have my eye on a few small palms I want to get and now am going to push hard on getting those now. Thanks for the link though Palm Crazy. I will be checking their site next winter for canna and hopefully their virus free vintage selections will expand. I'd love to see photos of yours in your garden when they are in bloom.

[Palm crazy]

As promised here are the first flower on canna iridiflora ehemanii. First flower with many more still to bloom this summer and fall.

A few pics.

The end.

[WestCoastGal]

OMG is that gorgeous! Thanks for the heads up on it PalmCrazy and can't wait to plant out next year in our yard. Saved a space for it.

[Palm crazy]

“Glad I could help”.

I’ve read that in hot inland places growing them in part shade can cause them to grow up to 9’ tall.

[David in Berkeley]

They can easily get 8 feet tall even here in cool summer Bay Area gardens. One of my favorites, nicely tropical looking and self cleaning. Also availablefrom wholesale growers such as Suncrest Nursery in Watsonville.