Canna Lucifer - Indian shot

Canna 'Lucifer' is a dwarf variety. It bears an abundance of bright red flowers edged in golden yellow. It is particularly suitable for pot or container cultivation in small gardens. This rhizomatous perennial has an exotic appearance. In spring, it bears lush foliage that is slightly undulating. It is medium green with blue highlights. This canna lily blooms abundantly from July to October in erect terminal clusters of flamboyant flowers, beautifully contrasting with the texture and fresh colour of the foliage. It is a frost-tender perennial that needs to be stored away in regions prone to frost, just like dahlias. Plant it in a warm, sunny location, in moist but well-drained rich soil.

Canna 'Lucifer' is a horticultural hybrid, belonging to a large group of hybrid cannas of unknown or complex lineage, all of which originate from tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. This plant belongs to the Cannaceae family, and to the same group as gingers and bananas. In spring, its thick and knotty rhizome develops a dense clump, 60cm (24in) tall and 50cm (20in) wide, composed of numerous large entire leaves whose sheathing base forms a false stem. The colour of the laminae is a medium green tinged with blue. From July to October, thin floral stems appear at the centre. The asymmetric flowers are grouped in dense spikes, with bright red petals edged with golden yellow. The dry vegetation disappears at the end of the season, while the plant enters dormancy. Canna rhizomes are sensitive to frost, and prefer to spend winter in fairly dry soil. Leaving them in the ground during winter is only possible in our mildest regions, with a thick protective mulch.

Hybrid cannas are majestic and colourful plants, ideal for adding interest to the back of borders for taller varieties, or for brightening up patios and balconies for more compact varieties. Growing them is within everyone's reach. Consider planting them in dense flower beds of about ten bulbs of the same variety, or by mixing green and purple foliage.  Canna 'Lucifer' can be used to create stunning exotic-looking container displays, alongside agapanthus, amaranths, and cosmos. It forms a beautiful combination with a banana plant or bamboo. Grow this plant like a dahlia. Dig up the rhizomes before the frost arrives and replant them in spring.