Canna Cleopatra - a spectacular beauty for the garden and home
Among the flowering garden plants, the Cleopatra canna stands out. Everything in it is beautiful, from the original two-color buds to the variegated color of the leaf plates. And you never know what color the leaves will be. They can combine several shades of green, have a bluish tint or purple stripes. Agree that such beauty will not go unnoticed. In addition, the canna feels good not only in the garden, but also in the pot. Transplanted into a tub, it continues to delight with flowering even during the dormant period.
What is a plant
The root system of the plant is presented as nodules. Strong and rather high stems sprout from them, the height of which can reach 90 cm. The shoots are densely covered with glossy oval leaves attached to long petioles. Veins are clearly visible on a large leaf plate. The color of the leaves surprises with its brightness, saturation and contrasting colors. Cannes with light green leaves are most often found. Bushes with striped foliage (green - purple) or with a mysterious blue bloom look especially gorgeous.
In the middle of summer, racemose or paniculate inflorescences begin to bloom above the bush. They consist of large, irregular flowers. Moreover, half of the petals are monochromatic, bright red, and the rest are yellow with a red dot. Combined with two-tone foliage, it looks very chic. Canna blooms in the garden until autumn, until frost sets in.
Canna Cleopatra - features of cultivation
The plant reproduces mainly by tubers, which can be easily purchased at any flower shop. They must first be germinated indoors by planting them in a pot. The grown bushes can be planted in open ground not earlier than the frost leaves. Depending on the region of cultivation, this is April - May.
Canna should be planted in a well-lit place where there is no draft. The plant should be exposed to the sun for at least 6 hours. Otherwise, flowering becomes scarce, and the foliage turns pale.
The culture prefers loose and always fertile soil. Considering this, as well as the thermophilic nature of the canna, it is advisable to pour a layer of fresh manure... It will warm the roots and feed the bush, stimulating its growth and flowering.
After planting a sprouted tuber in a permanent place, flowering occurs after 1.5 months (in late varieties - after 2 months).
Caring for Cleopatra as a whole is not particularly laborious and consists of the following procedures:
- Regular watering until the end of summer inclusive.
- Weed weeding.
- Loosening the earth between the bushes.
- Top dressing at least 2 times per season with a mineral complex (preferably liquid).
- Pruning faded inflorescences.
As soon as the first frost hits, you should take care of the wintering of the cannes. You can simply transplant it into a spacious pot and remove it into the house. In this case, the canna will continue to bloom indoors. If there is no room for such a voluminous bush, there is an easier option. It is necessary to cut off the above-ground part, leaving no more than 20 cm, and dig up the bush along with a lump of earth. Then put it in a bag and store until spring in a relatively warm place with a temperature of 8-14 ° C. In the spring, the canna can be planted again in the garden.