Richard Wallace Canna LIly

Richard Wallace Canna

Canna x generalis 'Richard Wallace'

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Recently I found a “roll” of black and white shots from last year. Shooting the picture in monochrome is usually always better than a software conversion of a color shot to me. Black and white photos of flowers can be interesting even though you lose one of the greatest properties of flowers, color.

Over the last several years we have pretty much stopped growing Cannas. That broke my heart since I truly love the vibe they bring to the garden. A big, bold plant that is still relatively well behaved. Now that a lot of cultivars are almost self deadheading it really is a good maintenance free plant. They are available in a wide range of colors and cultivars. The flower color for ‘Richard Wallace’ is not that appealing. Kind of a dusty yellow/orange. It is still a strong growing cultivar with good foliage.

Phalaenopsis Orchid
Phalaenopsis

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Spray of Moth Orchids, recently seen. I miss my days in the Orchid House. The 70/70 conditions (70 deg. F and 70% humidity) are not replicated anywhere else in my life. Also the smell of the orchid bark and the joy of coaching a spray of flowers out of an uncooperative, finicky orchid species. If you want to know more about Phalaenopsis click the tag they have been shown here many times. A lot of people find them to be pedestrian but I think they are beautiful and reliable.

Cherry Parfait Grandiflora Rose

 

Grandiflora Rose

Rosa 'Cherry Parfait'

(RO-zuh)

Registration name: MEIsponge

US Introduction: Conard-Pyle (Star Roses) in 2003

Synonyms: Fire & Ice (Australia), Jubilé du Prince de Monaco (Europe)

This is a super deep archive shot from 2007. I can’t say enough about how beautiful this rose can be. Right now I am torn between ordering ‘Double Delight’ or 'Cherry Parfait' for cutting roses. Since 'Cherry Parfait' is a grandiflora it probably wins the day. I am trying to order the roses now for spring delivery.

The shading on these rose flowers is variable but always looks nice. It is also a strong grower with good foliage.

Bonus shot from the same day.

Spotted Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Wordless Wednesday

Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Wordless Wednesday

Another yellow Canna.

Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

We are once again enjoying having some Cannas in the garden, well in containers actually. This one (sorry it came without a name) has been really cheery and bright up against the white house walls. The foliage is good and has a nice pattern of gold stripes. More than half the fun in cultivating these plants are in the leaves although I have noticed that the newer varieties seem to be very good at self cleaning and don’t really need deadheading. We do continually groom these particular specimens just because of their central location.

The country fair was interesting yesterday. Erika had a good time seeing all the animals and riding the various rides. I enjoyed the Border Collie demonstration and the tractor pulls. The musical entertainment was a little lacking and there should have been a couple of bands. We had a good time and there will probably be a few pictures coming up this week.

Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

This plant came in marked ‘Red President’ but it isn’t. That is surprising since it is from one of the mega nurseries that starts with the letter ‘M’. Lucky it turned out to be a nice color and it didn’t have any affect on a color scheme for the planting. We have slowly begun growing a few more Canna Lilies again after having bad results for several years. I do love their bold foliage and the flowers are kind of an added bonus. Quite a few Canna varieties seem to be self cleaning these days and that is helpful in keeping them looking nice without extra work.

I finally finished the ‘farm’ we have been working on. If I never have to cut another landscape timber on an angle again that will be okay with me. Now the scramble will be trying to get some decent vegetable plants to fill the beds.

Canna Lily

Spotted Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

This is an archive shot from California. Looking up the cultivar proved futile, as there are more and more of them to choose from. In addition to the varieties that are commonly offered there are a lot of specialty types that are available in very small supplies. The light was just right for this photo even though it was a midday picture. I guess the California sun is nicer :lol: The bee just flew into the photo serendipitously while lining up the picture. I am glad it happened that way because if I tried to focus on the bee it probably would have ruined the photo.

Keeping up with clearing out the main folder that holds pictures for this blog here is a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle. I just liked all the lines and chrome. 

Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

This is a flower from a few years ago. It was an unusual color for a Canna Lily and very beautiful. As a professional I use plants for specific reasons more than most people and Cannas have been used for their foliage more than the flowers. However if the flowers are as nice as this one that could change. The advent of the plentiful dwarf Canna has helped their use factor too.

A few years ago I practically gave up on Canna Lilies because I was getting a fungus on the leaves that seemed incurable. I have since found out changing the soil seems to help this problem. I have also been buying my plants from smaller/more expensive dealers. So while I won’t plant big masses like we used to having a few here and there and in containers is working out.

Dwarf Canna Lily

Dwarf Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

I thought this bright sunny flower would be nice for the people of the eastern coast of the United States seeing how it's a dreary, rainy and for this time of year cool day. I don’t have the name of this Canna but it has been growing nicely with some ‘Tropicanna’ types in a container. We didn’t plant any Cannas as bedding plants this year. After several years of getting infected (Canna virus) and looking bad we have pretty much given up on that. This Canna has kind of dullish bronze leaves, which gives a nice back drop to the flowers.

We are expecting several more inches of rain here and I doubt the rivers can handle that. It was the wettest August in history here with 12+ inches and the pattern looks to be continuing. That much rain is amazing for this time of year. I doubt we had even a couple of inches last year during the whole summer. At least we don’t have to drag hoses around the garden this year and the newly transplanted material must be happy.

Canna Lily

Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

This flower has been greeting me as I walk out the front door each day. My wife, who is also a professional horticulturist, planted a pot with this Canna, some Heliotrope, Gaura, and Verbena and it really looks nice. The idea was to attract some butterflies. We are currently raising some caterpillars in a jar to soon set them free as butterflies. My how things change here I am being friendly to some caterpillars! Watching the different stages of development has been interesting.

This Canna is a dwarf and sorry I don’t have the name. It has green foliage and has been steadily blooming for what seems to be weeks. At first I wasn’t totally taken by the color scheme or random pattern on these flowers but they have grown on me. Cannas work well in containers but the tall types can overgrow and flop the whole pot over. So much breeding has been done to these plants that there are now 100’s of different cultivars available. If you want some of the specialty types order early! They are quick to sell out and many types seem to have tight availability. In this climate Cannas must be lifted and stored for the winter, which is something I have never really gotten the hang of and generally treat them as annuals. Of the nearly 30 years I have been gardening the Cannas only lived in the ground once during the winter.

Spotted Canna Lily

Spotted Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Orange Canna Lily

Orange Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)


This Canna was brightening up the urban environment down in Manhattan. I know a lot of people don’t like orange flowers but ones like this that rejoice in their orangeness are hard to not like. Orange flowers for me are okay and it took me a long time to learn to appreciate them.

We only grew a few Cannas in containers this year after swearing off them for a couple of seasons. They did great and still look nice. None of that nasty brown on the leaves. They are a very structural plant that I like mainly for the foliage. The flowers are just a nice bonus when they come along. The newer varieties seem to be self cleaning so the old flowers don’t make a mess of the plants. I think that next year a few more Cannas are warranted by the performance of this years small crop. We are already trying to plan the garden for next spring. I might try and change the small rose garden in front of the house into an annual/perennial more seasonal type of planting. The roses are nice when they are on but look bad for a good part of the year.

Formal Decorative Dahlia

Formal Decorative Dahlia
Dahlia ‘Hy Sockeye’

After having some business in Long Island yesterday I scooted over to Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. They were having the annual Dahlia show but it opened really late and I couldn’t stick around for that. I was a little like the kid at the candy store with my face pasted against the glass looking at the flowers. Lucky for me the Paul Callahan Dahlia Garden is adjacent to the show so I snapped a couple quick pictures including this black and white macro of ‘Hy Sockeye’. It was a little bit of a relief to see that the Dahlias in the garden weren’t up to the usual standard as I found the same thing in my gardens.

Too bad there wasn’t a tag on this Dahlia as it was my favorite. Not the biggest flower (4-5 inches across) but stunning in color and detail. The Dahlia flowers with the different colored tips always catch me eye and I thought this one was exceptional.


Here is a bonus flower since it is Sunday. See more flowers from all over the world at Today’s Flowers .


Pink Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

This flower was blooming outside the greenhouse at Planting Fields. The color was a little washed out probably from the hot location. Pink is not the most usual color for Cannas and it was nice to see it.

Dwarf Butterfly Bush

Dwarf Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Blue Chip'
(BUD-lee-uh) (duh-VID-ee-eye)
Synonyms: ‘Lo & Behold’

This is great new plant. It solves the problem of having Buddleja in the border without it growing enormously. This is the second year I have seen it but the first that we have actually planted it. Both of our plantings have formed a little carpet of color in an area that was previously carpeted by Juniper. In both cases it has been a 100% improvement. ‘Blue Chip’ is also on the list to replace some regular Butterfly Bush that has completely over grown its spot in a small border. Even after I was ready for it and cut the plants down to about 18 inches tall in the beginning of the season this just seem to encourage them to grow taller. You may have trouble finding the 'Blue Chip' variety, we were lucky and local nursery had 10 of them this spring (I bought them all). As a new introduction (2007) I am going to give this plant an A+ and five stars.

See more flowers from all over the world at Today’s Flowers .

Since it is Sunday here is the bonus flower. It is Variegated Canna Lily that has ben growing in a container with the dark red leaf/flowered ‘Australia’.


Canna Lily
Canna x generalis 'Striped Beauty'
(KAN-uh)
Synonyms: Bangkok, Christ's Light, Minerva

I would describe ‘Striped Beauty’ as a semi-tall Canna. It is nicely proportioned and a good bloomer. I had given up on growing Cannas a while back because of the virus but couldn’t resist their bold foliage and flower colors. So far, with fingers crossed on virus this season.

Pink Canna Lily

Canna Lily
Canna x generalis
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)


Here is a nice pink Canna lily for Saturday. By the looks of it this cultivar is ‘China Doll’ but that isn’t 100% sure. It is really windy outside to today so I am inside working on the new website. I have worked up enough courage to post a preview link in the comments section. It should be broken once the hosting at my present website is switched to the new one in a couple of weeks. Let me know what you think.

This picture was shot with my Coolpix 5400, which is a 5 megapixel point and shoot (although it does have full manual mode) camera.

Canna Lily and a Few Maui Snapshots

Canna Lily and a Few Maui Snapshots

This orangey-red Canna Lily was blooming in Upcountry Maui. Yesterday was all about trying to get over the trip home and going through the pictures from the trip.

It is again going to be windy and rainy and cold here today. A real typical fall New England day. There is still some autumn color left and hopefully the rain won’t knock it down before I can get out there with the camera.

The next picture is from Lahaina Harbor. Lahaina is a good place to hang out as a tourist as there are plenty of good restaurants, shops and scenery. There are even a couple of high end art galleries.
Click here for a Virtual Tour
(it does take a minute or two to load)


The vintage Mercedes-Benz was spotted in the cowboy town of Makawao. It is an interesting little place with some cafes and galleries. This thing was in showroom condition inside and out.


The last photo is from Ho'okipa Beach, which is famous for all the windsufers that go there. There were a couple of regular surfers there too.

White Canna Lily Flower

Canna Lily
Canna x generalis 'Ermine'
(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

You don’t see white Canna flowers too often. There are several types out now and this one is billed as the ‘whitest’. Up close there is a little yellow in the flower, especially when it is starting to go by, but from a few steps back it does appear to be all white. This Canna is also a dwarf only getting 2 to 3 feet tall.


Yesterday we where out wine tasting on the North Fork of Long Island. It is fun visiting all the vineyards as most have at least some garden. It wasn’t as good as winery jumping in Sonoma or Napa Counties but they are really trying. We ended up going to quite a few places and I am feeling the effects a little today. We scored about 8 bottles of various wines we liked, which should last us awhile.

This Aster flower was blooming on the side of one of the buildings. It looked wild but I am pretty sure it was planted there. Since it was really windy I am surprised it came out at all. The blurry background is mostly from the wind and luckily the flower got frozen.


Autumn starts on Tuesday so here is a shot of a little fall scene someone had set up at an art gallery.



For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . The links open at 1400 GMT.

Jack London State Park Part 2

Jack London State Park Part 2
Glen Ellen, California

Here are a few more pictures of Jack London State Park. The first was a walkway in the farm area out to the Vineyard. Man, I really felt like I was out West when I snapped this one. That is Sonoma Mountain in the background.

The close ups of this flower didn’t really come out so I am posting this ‘whole’ shot. Almost everywhere we went there was some Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) blooming. The flowers are actually white and the velvety purple parts are calyces. This plant is hardy to around 0 deg. F, although some people say 10 deg F is a better bet. The Ruby Throated Hummingbirds were visiting this plant as I sat on a bench next to it. That was a beautiful and mighty Oak Tree in the background.


This third shot is a species of Canna lily (I think). This was the view from the garden by the cottage.


“All the leaves are brown

And the sky is gray

I've been for a walk

On a winter's day

I'd be safe and warm

If I was in L.A.

California dreamin'

On such a winter's day”

John and Michelle Phillips

Back to my mountain of paperwork. Soon I will have to give up gardening and just do paperwork all day. It isn’t quite that bad yet, thankfully, because the day that happens I am going to look into doing something else.

Shasta Daisy ‘Becky’

Shasta Daisy ‘Becky’
Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky'
(lew-KANTH-ih-mum) (soo-PER-bum)
Synonyms: Chrysanthemum x superbum, Chrysanthemum maximum


There was a good second flush of blooms on ‘Becky’ after we cut it back. The foliage has seen better days but the flowers are nice. This was the first picture I shot yesterday. The next shot is posted below. I love the fall light for taking flower pictures. It seems to slant down and illuminate the flowers just right.


‘Becky’ is a strong bloomer with big flowers. I posted before that ‘Becky’ might have an unpleasant scent but I didn’t notice it and was only inches away. I am definitely smelling one up close tomorrow.

This is kind of an abstract of Canna x generalis 'Australia'. I might have the opportunity to reshoot this since it is growing in a big container at work. I planted it with an orange flowered variegated type (Canna americanallis var. variegata 'Pretoria') and they mixed very well. There is also Cleome ‘Senorita Rosalita’, Blue Wave Petunias and some golden type of Licorice Plant. 'Australia' is beautiful and has looked good all season. The leaves get really dark, almost black, after they have come out. The flowers are a nice red.


These are the only Cannas that I grew this year. That is down from 100 to 300 in previous years. They hadn’t been performing well, the deer had been eating them and some seemed to have Canna virus.

It did get quite cold here last night, not enough to frost, thankfully. The temperature was 43 deg. F at my house and about 46 at work.

Canna leaf - Wordless Wednesday