After a whole year of growing Canna and spreading them, I think I can provide a better answer to this question now. I have observed that Canna bloom rather randomly, one plant blooming while another is not. They do not all bloom at once. I imagine that if you plant your Canna by breaking them up and regimenting them separately, into some geometrical pattern, that it just won't look cohesive because of the randomness of each separate plant's blooming. Therefore, I have found even greater reason to prefer allowing Canna to clump thickly. The random blooms that appear in clumps stand a better chance of having separate clumps showing blooms continuously and the randomness of blooms on individual plants is lost in the overall presentation of clumps or clusters of Canna. Mind you, that my current clumps of Canna are not yet thickly established and so, all through the season it has been odd to watch a bloom here, have it deteriorate, followed by another bloom somewhere else, in a rather haphazard fire-works like fashion. I personally, will strive to thicken up my Canna now so that each clump stands a chance of having continuous blooms all season long. And that means, letting the Canna grow thickly in groups and solid bars or lines along walls and fences. I find Canna an good answer to a problem I wanted to solve earlier in the year, finding flowing plants that will grow in shade. Canna do well in shade and unlike many plants that need sunlight to flower, Canna will flower in Shade or Sun. But because of the randomness of their flowering, I think I'll try to supplement them with some other flowing plants that can find harmony growing in close proximity to the spreading rhizomes of Canna. In that way something is flowering virtually ALL THE TIME. I just don't know what that other flowering plant will be yet as it also, must do well in shade or part shade and be a ground cover type of thing. IMHO

Poles and utility lines are everywhere. You don't notice them until you start looking. I say this because I bought a house in a new development in January, with a utility easement between me and yes--a busy road. I knew it was there, but didn't expect them to put up poles. But they did. HUGE poles for miles along my highway. Intrusive and ugly. Everybody was really upset, saying that they did didn't know, their children was sick, it would affect property values, blah blah blah. I refused to join in my neighborhood "protest" understanding it was futile. And I think the more alarmist theories about power lines are unproven baloney. Now, I dodged a bullet here -- they did not put a pole directly in back of my property, and so did not really ruin my view, although there's a pole about 30 yards away. I planted a tree. The lines go overhead, but are not intrusive. Some of my neighbors weren't so lucky. Sometimes I think you have to take these things in context. Do I think it will ruin my property value or chance for a resale? No, I do not. It's a modest, "starter" home in an area where a lot of commercial development is taking place, and those homes will always be in demand. (And the busy road is countered by a fantastic view). I don't know the OP's area, type of property, or whether the view out the main windows or yard is obstructed or what. So, again -- I wouldn't rule the property out just because there are poles or lines, but would consider carefully based on the property itself.

Hard to get hold of: Bambusa forbesii-from the Bloomfield River north-but mainly Iron Range etc. Schizostachyum sp "Murray Island"- from an island in the northeastern Torres Strait. Bambusa moreheadiana- climbing one from the Wet Tropics Bambusa arnhemica- NT. All grow well in my garden near Murwillumbah- B. arnhemica goes a little yellow on the plants down the slope which is a little colder. I have massive changes in success rates depending on the distance planted from the cold air down the slope and the amount of exposure to full sun and cold wind. B. forbesii grows well and has massive leaves- All are clumpers. S. sp Murray Island forms tight compact clumps and is most attractive- they do amazingly well considering their equatorial habitat on an island!!!! I noticed that our dry wet season this year (only 300mm over the Jan-March period) made them look thirsty-but the cold doesnt worry them -we get down to 3 degrees everywinter-except this winter in which 3.8 has been the coldest-which is up on the norm. From Kris http://www.bambooworld.com.au/pages/contents.htm maybe able to help. I will have sufficient propagation material of both species soon.

Our last frost date is 5/15, but it's fairly common to get the odd frost, or worse, even on Memorial Day weekend. ^^^ This picture was taken on Memorial Day 2000 or 2001. I had built no less than 30 mixed floral display plantings. Sigh. I remember when I was a young man, my dad, my brother, and I were bass fishing on the 4th of July weekend and wearing gloves & winter coats to keep our hands/bodies warm. For just the briefest time, it actually snowed. Go figure! If you grow temperate trees in pots, it's a near certainty you'll have your trees plotting against you with the weather. Trees under cover in pots almost always leaf out before those planted in the landscape, which provides all the incentive you'll need to become familiar with a dance called the Bonsai 2-Step. For about a month, I keep a large number of plants that could easily be damaged by frost on nursery carts so I can pull them in/out as dictated by temp extremes. This year, I had several trees planted out in the landscape that were severely damaged by untimely frosts, while their more mobile counterparts weren't damaged at all. I'm actually picking up 2 more nursery carts for added flexibility from A M Leonard in Piqua, OH on my way to a bonsai convention not too far west of there. Al