Cannas in the Pond

Spring is just around the corner, time to watch for canna bulbs to come out
at the hardware store, thus a timely re-post on having success in the pond
with these normally terrestrial plants:

Cannas in the pond.

Do you love to have something in bloom in the pond? Water lilies usually
take a center stage as they have been bred for their spectacular beauty.
Many of the marginal plants have not. They are mostly kept for the
variations in their foliage rather than their blooming ability. On the
other hand, their terrestrial cousins have been bred over the years for
both spectacular blooms and foliage. Would you like to find this in a water
plant? Well, you can, and if you do it yourself, for as little as $1.25.

Enter your terrestrial cannas and calla lilies. Start watching for the
bulbs and rhizomes to come into stores around March. Pick a color you like
and plant it in regular garden soil, using a pot or basket that you can
eventually put in your pond. Follow the directions for planting on the
package and place next to a sunny window. Water as needed to just keep the
soil damp. When the plant gets one to two leaves, it's time to slowly
introduce it to more water.

Start by placing the pot in an inch of water. Then raise the water level
another 1/2-1 inch each week. During this time, if weather permits, you
should also have the plant outside in a protected area to harden it off.
When you have the water level up to the surface of the soil, you need to
slowly start conditioning the plant to being in the sun, while maintaining
the water level. Once the plant is conditioned to the same amount of direct
sun as your pond, you can put it in the pond with about 2-3 inches over its
crown. Expect blooms long before the terrestrial cannas you planted in the
ground to occur.

During the conditioning time if the plant tends to wilt or not mature, you
may be increasing the water level too fast. Lower the level until you see
the plant recover, then wait another week before continuing to raise the
water level.

You can buy terrestrial cannas and callas lilies that are already
conditioned to water from some of the local nurseries. Expect to pay
between $10-$20 depending on type.

There are two ways to save the plant for next year. One way is to bring the
plant inside and keep it in a shallow saucer of water and treat it like a
house plant. The other is to go through the process of drying the bulb or
rhizome and storing in peat moss. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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