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American Daylily & Perennials - Liberty™ Cannas: A New Look For an Old Favorite
LIBERTY™ CANNAS: A NEW LOOK FOR AN OLD FAVORITE
Although cannas have been in cultivation for almost 400 years, medieval gardeners would be stunned by the changes in today's cannas. The tall, large-leafed plants, which originate from South America and the West Indies, have always been spectacular when in bloom, but today's gardeners demand a lot more than boldly colored flowers. As gardening trends began to change in the mid-70's, hybridizers were quick to fill the need for compact-flowering cannas with short, sturdy stems. Jack Roberson, owner of American Daylily & Perennials in Grain Valley, Missouri, was one of the first successful canna hybridizers. His compact Liberty™ cannas became known for their dwarf growth habit and tendency for rapid increase as well as their resistance to heat, rot and the destructive leaf roller worm. Author John E. Bryan refers to the Liberty™ series of cannas in his book John E. Bryan on Bulbs, part of the Burpee Expert Gardener series: "All such plants are good, and from the many listed, you will find colors you like."
THE LIBERTY™ NAME ASSURES QUALITY CANNAS
The Liberty name is trademarked to assure consumers that they are purchasing plants from this quality series; the new generation of Liberty™ cannas has the added protection of plant patenting. Liberty™ Bugle Boy (PP#9154), believed to be the first canna to carry a U.S. patent, issues a wake-up call with vibrant red blossoms splashed with shocking yellow. Framed by shiny apple-green foliage, this compact canna is a real traffic stopper! Liberty™ Scarlet (PPAF) features extra-large seven-inch flowers of bright, lipstick-red set against unusual burgundy foliage on three-foot stalks. Liberty™ Scarlet increases rapidly but is slow to set seed, maintaining a clean look long into the season. Forget boring orange cannas-the new Liberty™ Cantaloupe (PPAF) canna has a mouth-watering clear melon bloom, ideal with ornamental grasses or soft-colored perennials. For a wonderfully subtle blend of colors, plant Liberty™ Cantaloupe cannas with Patriot™ Honeylove lantanas, a color-breakthrough lantana whose blossoms transition from a pale gold to a warm cantaloupe. The uniquely colored blossoms of Liberty™ Cantaloupe cannas are set on stalks that reach 3-3½ feet with clean, bright green foliage. Another winning color is Liberty™ Key Lime (PPAF), with pale, creamy yellow flowers that would set a moonlight garden aglow. Liberty™ Key Lime is the shortest of the Liberty™ series cannas, almost an "ultra dwarf," reaching only 2-2½ feet tall with shiny green foliage.
NEW LIBERTY™ WATERMELON HAS LUSCIOUS COLOR!
The cream of the Liberty™ canna crop, and an International Plant Selection for 1997, is the new Liberty™ Watermelon (PPAF), with large raspberry-pink flowers that look as tempting as ripe watermelon on a hot summer day. From the moment the first shoots of Liberty™ Watermelon emerge from the ground wrapped in a burgundy sheath, this canna is a knockout. The foliage unfurls to reveal dark green leaves edged in mahogany, and unlike older varieties of cannas, Liberty™ Watermelon will stay healthy and vigorous from summer until frost, even as multiple stalks are added. Similar to the well-known canna 'The President' in its dependability, strong rhizome structure and robust new growth, Liberty™ Watermelon is exceptionally lush and clean, with impeccable foliage. It is the most resistant of the Liberty cannas to leaf roller worms.
LIBERTY™ CANNAS LEAD THE PACK
The new generation of Liberty cannas have been carefully bred to encourage quick and clean shedding of spent blossoms; rapid increase (ten or more per growing season); exceptionally bright colors; dwarf and sturdy growth habits with reblooming new growth; heat and rot resistance; leaf-roller worm resistance and early blooming-only 10-12 weeks from planting! In the olden days, customers were content to buy dried up canna rhizomes that may have been stored, bare root, for months. Satisfy the demands of today's customers by purchasing fresh, field grown Liberty canna rhizomes direct from American Daylily & Perennials. Watch your profits multiply by planting canna rhizomes in gallon containers ten to twelve weeks before their mid-to-late-summer bloom. Color sells-most consumers would rather pay more for a lush, brightly flowering plant that they can take home and put straight in the ground. Top canna growers confirm that their customers are moving towards the profitable instant impact market of containerized, field-grown cannas. Bare root rhizomes are certainly less expensive, but they don't make a pretty display!
CARING FOR CANNAS
Cannas may look regal, but they aren't prima donnas. Bare root canna rhizomes should be soaked in tepid water for 24 hours before planting. They can be planted anytime of year in zones 9 and 10, but in the cooler climate of zones 3 through 8 it is better to plant cannas in late spring or early summer. Cannas aren't picky about pH but they do prefer full sun and plenty of water. Keep newly planted cannas uniformly moist and do not allow them to dry out; they thrive in humid climates. Space cannas 18 to 24 inches apart and set rhizomes 1-1½ inches deep for best results. Allow cannas two to three weeks to become established, then fertilize with a 1-2-1 ratio fertilizer at monthly intervals. While all Liberty cannas are bred for resistance to leaf-roller worms (primarily a factor in the South) the problem may still exist to some extent. Leaf-roller worms can be eliminated by applying Malathion every three weeks during the blooming season.
YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH CANNAS
Cannas have come a long way since the days when they took pride of place in formal Victorian flower beds. Today's Liberty™ cannas look just as good massed with ornamental grasses or around a pond, in perennial beds or packed into containers on a deck or patio. The flowers are unforgettable, the foliage is bold, green and clean, and even the taller cannas never need staking. For high impact and low maintenance, Liberty™ cannas can't be beat.
For more information, call or fax Jo Roberson:
AMERICAN DAYLILY & PERENNIALS
Phone:(816) 224-2852 Fax:(816) 443-2849
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