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cherlynn
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What is this tall flowering plant - seen on Long Island?

[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll46/grammycherlynn/_V210146sm.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll46/grammycherlynn/_V210142sm.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll46/grammycherlynn/_V210141sm.jpg[/img]

On a recent trip to visit family on Long Island we spotted this plant growing in a neighbor's yard. The family living there had recently bought the house and did not know the name of the plant, but graciously allowed me to take the photos and gave us a few seeds. We did find out that it is a perennial. The tallest part of the plant was about 6'-7'. Does anyone know what it is? I haven't been able to find it anywhere online. I don't want to plant the seeds until I find out more about the plant. Thank you!
Last edited by cherlynn on Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Jess
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Hi :D

It is Canna indica.
Beautiful but prone to slug damage. It likes a nice sheltered, warm site in well drained, fertile soil to grow well.

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cherlynn
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Location: Connecticut

:D Thank you, Jess!
Wow...now, thanks to your reply, I've found all sorts of info on the internet. I have to read a bit more, but may try to plant the seeds in a pot indoors, for now...although, that might not be the way to go with such a large plant. It's really pretty, but I am trying to lean toward more native (to Connecticut) perennials.

Any other information on Canna indica would be greatly appreciated!

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KLParmley
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Location: Mebane, NC (USDA Zone 7B, Sunset Zone 32)

In NC, cannas are planted in the medians of the interstates to beautify the roads. I had one that I treated gently, giving it a rich bed of manure and compost stirred into the native soil. I put it in a spot that was sunny for half the day and made sure it didn't dry out.

After 3 years, it had never gotten above knee high and the only time I saw blooms was one that had stated at the greenhouse where I bought the thing. I started thinking about where I usually saw them, rather than what the tag that came with the stupid thing said.

So, I yanked it up and stuck a piece under the mulch on the side of my house in the blazing sun.

It was 6 feet tall and full of flowers all summer.

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Sienna Dawn
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Location: Pensacola, FL

KLParmley wrote:In NC, cannas are planted in the medians of the interstates to beautify the roads. I had one that I treated gently, giving it a rich bed of manure and compost stirred into the native soil. I put it in a spot that was sunny for half the day and made sure it didn't dry out.

After 3 years, it had never gotten above knee high and the only time I saw blooms was one that had stated at the greenhouse where I bought the thing. I started thinking about where I usually saw them, rather than what the tag that came with the stupid thing said.

So, I yanked it up and stuck a piece under the mulch on the side of my house in the blazing sun.

It was 6 feet tall and full of flowers all summer.
Funny, ain't it?

I discovered that the reason I couldn't keep asparagus ferns and/or rosemary plants was that I kept them in pots and babied them like it said on the tags. Ha! I've since found that they both thrive on negligence! Poke a hole in the dirt, plunk 'em in and ignore 'em!

Heh. Once again... dig and learn! :shock:

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cherlynn
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Location: Connecticut

Thank you both for your input! I've put the Canna indica seeds aside until February or March when I may start them indoors and then transplant them in May...hopefully...to a nice sunny spot! I just need to do a bit more research on them to see if I really want them in our yard.

Right now there is not much work in our yard. The leaves, of which their were many, are all mulched and on the gardens! The compost piles are looking good! Of course that doesn't mean that the planning has stopped! I often take walks around the yard...visualizing just what I'd like to do in the spring...

By the way...my rosemary is happily sitting in a pot near a window...it transplanted quite well from the garden and smells SO Good!


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KLParmley
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You do need to be careful where you put them. To use my grandmother's phrase, they will grow like gangbusters and take over. The one plant that did nothing was taking up nearly 4 square feet when frost finally made it stop for the season. And a friend who got the same plant when I did, and planted it in a happier spot, has been trying to get his removed because it has completely taken over the bed. :shock:

*I*, on the other hand, am completely happy for it to take up as much space as it chooses to. I have tons of empty space next to my house.

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cherlynn
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These are definitely things to consider when and if I plant the cannas in our yard...I certainly do not want to deal with an invasive plant. The ones that I saw at my mother-in-law's neighbor's house were confined between the sidewalk and the house. Thank you for your advice!

bali
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Location: pennsylvania

Wow those are big.
I have some bulbs and the japanese beetles terrorise them yearly.

NY must do well with it.

b

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KLParmley
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I'm in North Carolina. Cannas ought to be our state flower, but they aren't indigenous.

bali
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Location: pennsylvania

maybe you can name yours the state flower of your house?

LOL

b



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