Canna ‘Lemon Punch’
Plant of the week
Canna "Lemon Punch"
Why you should plant it
This annual defies the cliché associated with canna: It doesn't become huge and blowsy. Growing from 90 to 110 centimetres high, it's a tough cultivar that doesn't succumb to disease and is drought tolerant. It also matches well with less demanding plants, enhancing them in the process.
Where to plant it
Canna 'Lemon Punch' is the perfect container plant: Use potting soil, slow-release fertilizer and mulch with a good compost when planting it. Make sure the container has good drainage holes and the pot is in full sun for at least six hours a day. Arrangement-wise, place it slightly off centre rather than in the middle of a pot, then surround it with sun-loving perennials or annuals with at least one vine dripping over the side.
What it offers
Besides its bright green leaves and yellow, lily-like blooms, C. 'Lemon Punch' has such big, luscious leaves in such sensuous shapes that it demands to be planted with more willowy neighbours, particularly small shrubs or long-legged perennials. The surprise of seeing canna growing in borders is particularly delicious, lending much drama to groupings.
Source and cost
Find it for $8 at nurseries such as Mason House Gardens in Uxbridge, Ont.
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