The "Richard Wallace" offers a strong colourful, yet exceptionally elegant note. It belongs to those flowering plants whose flowering many gardeners cannot wait for. The magnificent large dark yellow flowers will attract everybody's attention. The "Richard Wallace" variety that grows up to 100 centimetres tall dazzles with its huge green leaves. You should also notice the subtle pattern on the calyxes of the stylish flowers. These are gathered in ear-shaped clusters at the tops of short stalks and enchant with their truly exotic beauty. Canna lily stems do not require staking. They are stiff, thick and look wonderful all season long. The "Richard Wallace" canna lily is valued for its long flowering period. The first buds at the bottom of the cluster explode with their energizing colours already in June and the next one unfold successively until the end of September or even until first frost if the weather permits. This is an excellent rhizomatous perennial - everyone owner of a flower garden should try to grow it.
Canna lily belongs to thermophilic plants that need plenty of sunlight and a sheltered site. It also requires fertile, loose, thoroughly weeded soil that is rich in nutrients. This soil also needs to be rich in humus and have a pH value between 6.5 and 7.0. Cannas prefer abundant watering during the summer and fertilization that is tailor-made to their needs. We recommend to enrich the soil with compost or manure in autumn or spring, before planting canna rhizomes. Do not forget to remove wilted inflorescences in order to extend the flowering period.
Growing canna lily in planters, in which this plant looks truly spectacular, requires following of a few rules. Choose large and stable planters and pots, so the rhizome has sufficient space to develop and grow. It is the young sprouts that will produce blooms in the following season. Cannas need a proper drainage layer and a permeable fertile soil. You have to protect the rhizomes from rotting.
Canna lily is characterized by rather long vegetation period. We recommend to plant the rhizomes early in order to accelerate the blooming. Choose large and capacious containers, plant one rhizome in each of them and place in bright rooms with constant temperature within the 16-18⁰C range. Well developed seedlings are transplanted outside after the risk of late spring frosts is gone. Plant canna lilies 40 to 50 cm apart. You may also plant the rhizomes directly onto beds, but you will have to take into account delayed flowering. Always place the rhizome horizontally, "eyes" up. Cover the rhizomes with an at least 5-cm thick layer of soil.
Due to their region of origin, cannas do not winter in the ground in Central European conditions. Frost causes irreversible damage to them. You need to trim the stalks to 10-15 cm and excavate the rhizomes. Shake off the excess soil and dry them. Store them in dark rooms at temperatures between 5 and 8⁰C. Cover them with sawdust or sand in order to keep them moist. You can propagate canna lilies for many years to come by simply dividing the growing rhizomes.
Each package contains 1 Richard Wallace canna lily bulb of premium quality. The basic plant information and growing tips were included in the packaging information on the label.
- Variety: Richard Wallace
- Use: ornamental - flower beds, borders, lawns, pots, cut flower
- Growth form: erect
- Flower colour: yellow with green markings
- Vegetation form: perennial
- Foliage: large green leaves
- Flower type: large, gathered in ear-shaped clusters
- Site: sunny, sheltered; fertile, loose, thoroughly weeded, nutrient-rich soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0
- Bulbs: 1
- Height: up to 100 cm
- Flowering period: June - September
- Planting period: early spring -indoors; after the last frost - outdoors
- Planting depth (cm): at least 5 cm
- Planting distance (cm): 40 to 50 cm
- Wintering in the ground?: No
