Canna Tropical series

American Takii’s seed-propagated Tropical series has five members, including All-America Selections winner Rose. Other members are Red, Salmon, White and Yellow.

Flowers are clustered in terminal spikes. They are dwarf, daylength-neutral varieties. Plants produce new offsets freely for continuous flowering and can be used in large containers or in combination planters, as accents in the garden, and even in shallow water gardens. They are inherently free from the viruses frequently encountered in cannas produced from rhizomes.

Sow seed in 50- to 128-cell trays. Seed should be sown fairly deep so it doesn’t push itself out of the growing medium. When transplanting, plant seedlings so that the final medium level is up to where the first set of leaves flare out. Plants need plenty of root space. Plugs in 50-cell trays finish in five to six weeks.

To finish, transplant 35-42 days after sowing. Plants will flower in 90-130 days depending on average temperature. Best temperatures are 70°F-85°F days and 65°F nights.

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Finished containers should be 6-inch pots or larger.

For more: American Takii, (831) 443-4901; www.takii.com.

- Jyme Mariani