Nice to see your pictures, Al! I have a canna that shows no sign of blooming. Is there a secret to it?

Welcome back Al!
Your garden is looking good.
Work seems to have a way of interfering with oneÂs pleasures.
Every year retirement looks more tempting.
Ian

Very nice Al, I am glad you posted the Rosa Mundi pic because I bought one new this spring so it bloomed in early June, and I was wondering when it would normally bloom. Yours looks great. I love those little mimulus - they never seem to do much for me for some reason.

Marcia, if you want early blooms from cannas you have to start them really early indoors in pots. I'm usually too lazy and I get blooms in September. I mostly plant them for the foliage anyway.

You must start your cannas in December!lol I started mine later than usual this year, the end of April, and so far no sign of a flower bud yet :( But I'm hopeful!
Love your roses, and those mimulus are so cheerful looking......next year will have to try those!
Laurie

I started my cannas in March! However, i was looking this afternoon and two are actually going to bloom - spoke too soon!

Hi all,
I usually start my cannas in late February or early March. I find that they like their roots to be kept warm in order to germinate right away. Then its bright light and lots of fertilizer.
Those mimulus were planted about 3 years ago in their location. The weather was dry so they did nothing. We were showing our yard to the horticulture club and they looked awful. So we pulled the plants and put down landscape cloth, which we covered with rock. The next year they grew from seed along with a few johnny-jump-ups. I just leave them and don't deadhead. They drop their seed and come back every year so far.
My Rosa Mundi rose is about 7 years old and it usually blooms for about 3-4 weeks in July. It is a real favorite of mine, I like the two colors of the petals. I understand that you can collect the petals and dry them. They will retain their scent which can be used in potpourri.

Cheers Al

WOW! my cannas never look that good! I'll be starting them early next year...except that I don't have a sunny enough spot indoors. My dahlias got very leggy. Thanks for sharing your pix!

Al,

Very pretty plants and photos. I love mimulus, I've never had them self-sow.

Do you have a greenhouse for starting your cannas so early?

Thanks for posting the pictures, I hope work can give you enough of a breather to enjoy your lovely gardens.

Kate

Hi Kate
I usually start my cannas indoors. I have a spot in my basement where I start bedding plants and the cannas are started there too. I have a greenhouse too, but I usually don't move anything into it until the middle of April when the weather warms up and it is easier to heat.

Cheers Al

Great pics....... I really like that Rosa Mundi....

Lori

I love those mimulus! My mom has a problem spot on her north side - she had monkshood there for years, but now they're thinning out and she's looking for something else. They'd be on the north side of the house beside a sidewalk. On the other side of the sidewalk (the north side) is a cotoneaster hedge. Would they do okay there do you think? With that much colour, I'd think they'd need some light. Could you tell me the genus? I googled mimulus and came up with a bunch of different types. I like yours.

Very nice Al! I tried cannas for the first time this year....it sounds like I didn't get them and start them early enough. Then the hail damaged them pretty good...and I don't think they like the cooler temps we had this summer and no or hardly any sun. I have them up against the house now and they have sprouted some new leaves....I was wondering what I need to do with them in the fall.....to bring them in......Hopefully I can over winter them and start them earlier for next year.

Sierra

Sierra, you just wait till the frost zaps em once (believe me, you will know!) then dig them up. They have big honkin roots and you will need a big knife or shears to cut the stems off at about 3". I clean the dirt off them and leave a day or two to dry, then into the basement with a black garbage bag loosely over the top to keep light out.

Don't worry if they don't bloom. I grow them mainly as a foliage plant anyway. For early blooms you can plant them inside in the early spring.

Very nice garden photos Al! I really like R. mundi, definitely will have to order that one for next year!

If you have your cannas growing in large pots, I just bring them into the house, pot and all before a hard frost. First spray for bugs, then let them go dormant naturally, leaving the dry stocks on, store them in a cool basement and then bring them back upstairs into more light around March, cut off dry stalks, start a fertilize regimen and water lightly till you move them outdoors. If you water too much they will rot ;)

Sharon

One year I ran out of peat moss and potting soil and I was broke (I was a new homeowner) so I started my cannas in moist shredded newspaper. It worked just fine but their roots got all tangled in the paper so I had to plant it all together. (Sounds like one of Grandma's stories, when I was young we were so poor we all took a bath in the same water then cooked the potatoes in it...) I don't really have a point here, I just remembered I did that once.

Hi all
Thank you for all the nice comments!! Loysan you were asking about what genus the mimulus are. Sorry I cannot tell you. I bought them as bedding plants at Hole's greenhouse and the tags have been thrown out long time ago. These mimulus only get the early morning sun and the area is fairly damp. The rock, with the landscape cloth under it, helps keep the soil moist to almost wet, with it flooding sometimes during a heavy rain.

I grow all my cannas in pots and in the fall when the frost has killed the leaves, I lift them, clean off the dirt, and store them in damp peat moss in a cool dark place in my basement. When I repot them in the spring I usually split them and cut off the parts of the roots that have died, then pot them up. I have very good success with this method as some of my cannas are 8 years old.

Cheers Al

Love your pictures and your Rosa Mundi....might have to get me one of those!!

Marge