Canna Picasso - Indian shot

Canna 'Picasso' is a fairly compact variety, distinguished by its orchid-like yellow flowers completely speckled and dotted with red. It develops lush foliage of a beautiful blue-green colour. This large rhizomatous perennial with the appearance of a flowering banana tree boasts the splendour of the tropics where its ancestors were born. It is not very hardy, but it tolerates drought. It will reach its full potential in moist, deep, and fertile soil. Plant it in the centre of a lawn or in a large pot on a patio for a dazzling summer display.

Canna 'Picasso' is a horticultural creation, resulting from crossbreeding between C. edulis, or C. indica, a large perennial native to the tropical and subtropical regions of South America, with C. flaccida, which has wider flowers and spectacular variegation, native to the wetlands of the southeastern United States. All these plants belong to the Cannaceae family, and to the same group as gingers and banana trees. In spring, its thick and knotted rhizome develops a dense clump measuring at least 70cm (28in) wide, composed of large entire leaves with a silky blue-green colour. From July until the first frosts, thin floral stems, 90cm (35in) to 1m (3ft) tall, appear in the centre. The asymmetrical flowers are grouped at the top, displaying yellow petals, washed with orange, and entirely speckled with red.

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 'Picasso' can be used to create stunning exotic-looking container displays. Plant enthusiasts will also appreciate the astonishingly whimsical Canna 'Cleopatra' or Crinum asiaticum, with its resemblance to a giant lily. Grow this plant like a dahlia. Dig up the rhizomes before the frost arrives and replant them in spring.