1. No

2. Several growers have worked diligently to rid their stock of virus. These growers will be on the pricey side.

Look into Karchesky and Harris, Quality Gladiolus, Claine's Canna (England). There are some growers in Australia that might have some virus free stock too.

3. This depends upon what you would like to look at. The Karchesky and Harris website has a plethora of photo's to peruse. I began my collection with Robt. Kemp aka C. indica compacta, although the latin name is in doubt now. A rapid growing, sturdy, nearly bulletproof variety.

4. I've had seedlings blossom the first year, some varieties will take a second season to blossom.

5. Canna are remarkable plants that adapt well to many growing conditions. They are also heavy feeders of organic material. Use compost, composted manure's, etc. to improve the soil. Do your best to keep their bed weed and grass free and they will respond well.

In lower Alabama, you will likely have more difficulty with the canna leaf roller than we do further north. Our curse is the Japanese Beetle. I like rotenone/pyrethrum for insect control.

I'm not saying you can't get lucky with discount store canna. You may very well get virus free rhizomes. Personally, I just can't trust that this will be the case.

Thanks for the reply, I guess the best solution for starting out without problems (and cheapest route) is to start from seed. Since I don't see many Cannas around here, I am hoping the leaf rollers won't be a problem for a while; but I am not opposed to breaking out the insecticide if need be.

I would agree with the post by fatbaldguy which is well stated. I think his reference to C. compacta aka ÂRobert Kemp (drop the indica) suggests what I believe is the very best species canna for use in our landscape plantings. Please keep in mind that not all cannas sold as ÂRobert Kemp are necessarily the same. There are actually few true species that I consider worthy of widespread use in most landscaping schemes. I guess I am biased toward the large flowered hybrids that have been developed over the last 100 plus years. This also reflects the problem of growing cannas from seed. Few gardeners understand the results obtained when growing canna seed. The offspring seedlings obtained are always something other than their hybrid parent. Specie cannas do typically self-pollinate but "extra care" is recommended to prevent the possibility of cross pollination which can occur.
Growing cannas from seed does eliminate virus in some instances but is not guaranteed. What can almost certainly be guaranteed is the resulting seedling will be inferior to cultivars already in the marketplace. The leaf color, bloom size and color, as well as the general stature of the plant are at best unknown. Growing canna seedlings have rewards only for those who are willing to do a lot of extra work for questionable results.
Without wanting to sound as a promotion for growing or selling virused cannas, I know that many of our cultivars carry at least some "tolerance" to virus and they will grow and perform reasonably well for many. This is particularly true for our warmer growing areas and seasons.
For those just beginning with cannas, at least consider trying a few and learn something about what to look for and how to maximize their potential. Eliminate any that do poorly and enjoy the rest.
I am promoting the growing of cannas and suggesting that if you want to grow proven cultivars you will deal with some virus issues just the same as with hostas, tulips, roses, and most other plants we grow for both the landscape as well as our gardens. I do wish the suppliers would be more forthcoming with the issue. It will be with us for some time!
Regards,
Kent

Thanks Kent,
Maybe I should try a few rhizomes in pots and see which ones look disease free and discard the others. I'll have to check the box stores for Robert Kemp. Are there any other varieties that equal the RK in other colors?
Rick

Hi Rick,
First let me say that cannas do extremely well in southern Alabama. Generally speaking you can likely plant in the ground if you wish and never even have to do much more than use a few inches of mulch over them in the winter to prevent the rhizome from freezing.
You will not likely find ÂRobert Kemp offered in the box stores. This is one of the true species that will grow true from seed in most cases. I only qualify that because as I have previously stated there is an outside chance of cross pollination. I would choose to purchase from a knowledgeable grower as opposed to an offer on EBAY. Sorry, but at least some of these folks donÂt have a clue! If you are able to find canna compacta aka ÂRobert Kemp offered as seed you will most likely have a virus free plant (at least at the start). If you grow from seed you will need to do a little reading on a correct method to get the canna seed to germinate. This would be a good reference plant to compare with any purchased rhizomes. I think if you separate the plants by a few feet, you will reduce virus transmission by insect to a degree. I always recommend using a good systemic insecticide to further reduce insect transmission as in both your area as well as in mind both the lesser and greater leaf roller becomes disastrous. They can produce more unsightly plants than any virus!
Pot grown cannas are fine but they require more work and expense. People usually use a container that is too small for maximum plant growth. In the heat of both my and your summers, watering becomes problematic.
If you choose to try the box store cannas you will likely find some if not many virus issues. I would expect that depending on the cultivar (variety) you will see some plants do much better than others and they will grow and bloom well in spite of limited virus infection. I continue to grow a rather large number of cannas and many carry some virus. Few people that visit the canna area even are aware to the situation. Of course I am not happy about the situation but we enjoy the cannas just the same. I do have to discard some plants from time, but I usually allow the plant the opportunity to outgrow the symptoms. The virus does remain present but somewhat well hidden!
If you care to spend more of an investment and not go with the box store and likely get healthy cannas, I would add to the first list given by suggesting Plant Delight Nursery. I would not recommend growing the box store product close to the expensive cannas.
Are you more interested in large flowered cannas or growing mainly for the foliage effect? This will have a bearing on growing from seed versus rhizomes. Few options are available for the seed grown large flowered cultivars. The "Tropical Series" seed strain of canna is about the most reliable seed grown varieties somewhat available. I probable have supplied more information than needed and confused some.
Regards,
Kent

Canna 'Robert Kemp' is a huge hummingbird magnet.
Besides it's vigor and reliable beauty, I like that very much about it.

As far as cannas and virus ..
I have worked a long time to understand what it is, how it spreads, etc. If it is in your cannas, you will not get rid of it. Warm climate growers may not believe they have virus if their cannas have always grown warm and never disturbed. As a cold climate grower, I will see it manifest in a short while, if present. A curse and a blessing..lol But has helped me to a clean/cleanest crop all around.
Alice

Rick, I do have enough Robt. Kemp rhizomes, that I would be willing to send some to you, should you pay postage. I would not be able to send them until I was certain that there would be no frost damage during shipment. That would mean that mid/late May would be the earliest due to MY weather conditions. I am reasonably certain that these rhizomes are virus free.

I also have some seed that I would be willing to send for postage, although there will be some seed of unknown origin mixed in, say in the 10% range. The missus opened a packet of open pollinated seed and spilled it in with the Robt. Kemp seed.

FBG, aka Jeff to Miss Alice and Kent.

Thanks Jeff, that would be a real blessing. I would gladly pay postage on rhizomes and/or seed.

If you would like a trade (if I have anything that will survive your weather), I have some Walker Fig cuttings starting develop roots and some White Butterfly Ginger and Louisiana Iris (yellow and blue) starting to come up.
Rick

Well Rick,

We can communicate via email. Click on my username.
Happy to be of service.

Thanks for the great info guys. Hopefully FBG will be sending some my way and I will have a nice looking group of cannas this summer. It will be good to start off without problems. I'll definately be using some prevention for leaf rollers and aphids.

Canna2grow, I'm caught short after reading that your experience shows canna grown in pots don't do as well.

Old House Gardens and other sites say they "like" to be crowded in large containers so I was considering it.

Now I'm unsure.

This is probably Canna heresy, but are the dwarf versions worth growing for those of us who don't have garden space and need to use a pot? I've come across some bred dwarf varieties and something called Futurity.

I need some experienced opinions if anyone would be so kind as to offer it.

I'm a "shallow" Canna person, I know, but they're attractive although I can't fit all the larger foliage varieties in my limited garden bed space.

My main goals are to have some nice sized flowers for appearance sake and to attract hummingbirds.

I have a very hard time accepting I can't have some plants because of bed space, zone limitations and critter decimation of too many plants...and yet I persist...LOL.

Newbie in nj,
Many cannas do quite well in containers. My intentions were directed to those who live in areas that generally do not have to lift and winter store. Pot growing simply requires more attention and care and the plant can become root bound. The taller varieties often get blown over and some find the need to anchor their pots. Our large flowered cannas (garden hybrids) usually do not attract humming birds etc as well as the smaller flowered varieties. Some of the recent post listed ÂRobert Kemp (canna compacta) as being a good choice for both the flower and bird attractant.
The larger flowered dwarf cultivars are excellent choices for containers simply because they tend to grow much shorter and bloom somewhat sooner. Relative speaking of course! The ÂFuturity Series of dwarf cannas are a group of shorter growing cultivars that would be ok in pot culture. There are a number of others.
I definitely disagree with the "crowded" reference. I think maybe there was a communication misunderstanding. Overcrowding in containers or in beds is not a good situation for the plants. Just for the sake of discussion; dwarf varieties need roughly two to three feet between plants; the really tall varieties may require three to four feet between individual plants growing with plenty of sun. These suggestions are simply rough guidelines and can be adjusted to your situation. Containers can be started side by side and adjusted as the plant matures. This is not a good option for plants in established beds!
By the way, Old House Gardens called me not long ago and they attempt to give good information and provide some interesting historic canna info.
Regards,
Kent

Hello FBG aka Jeff ;-) .. lol
Good to see you here too :-)
Alice

Thanks for your information, Kent.

The online catalogues tout almost all the cannas as attracting hummingbirds but I'd hate to spend the money on bulbs/shipping or use the container space and time I'd need to keep them going with enough attention if they don't attract hummingbirds. If I had the bed space to give over to some of the beautiful canna I'd surely put them in just for some of the variegated foliage and blooms available.

I have the same problem with claims of plants being "butterfly attractors" in catalogues. Vendors don't seem to care if Cabbage Whites are the only thing that are attracted but that's a very narrow use of my limited space and daily hand watering chores with all the containers I have to use.

Thanks again. With finances being what they are this year for most people I'll have to forego things I want just for their beauty and stick with things that will serve the dual purpose for which I'm planting.

Leslie

I bought some canna rhizomes at sam's club a couple of months ago and put them in pots so I could see if they looked diseased. They're growing very fast and I don't see any signs of the virus. I had some cannas from one of the big box stores and they had the virus, so this was a great find for me. It was about 15-20 bucks for about 18 rhizomes. Some had rot on the outer edges which I cut off, and they seem to be doing fine.

I planted my first cannas this week, 26 Robt Kemp rhizomes thanks to FBG. The weather is warm and there's lots of moisture in the ground due to the 6" of rain we received over the weekend. I am looking forward to seeing them peek out of the mulch. Hopefully, I'll have some nice red flowers for the hummingbirds this summer.