Canna Stuttgart - Indian shot

Canna 'Stuttgart' is a tall rhizomatous perennial that bears elegant spikes of salmon-orange flowers from July to October. It develops spectacular foliage of dark green leaves with cream-white stripes and markings. This variety is a novelty imbued with exoticism and refinement. It looks wonderful in isolation, both in beds and on patios. It likes the heat and is tolerant to drought. It will be happy in full sun, planted in moist but well-drained soil. 

Canna 'Stuttgart' is a recent horticultural creation, resulting from the crossbreeding of C. edulis, or C. indica, a tall perennial native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, and C. flaccida, with wider flowers and spectacular variegations, native to wetlands in the southeastern United States, from Texas to South Carolina. This plant belongs to the Cannaceae family, in the same group as gingers and bananas. In spring, its thick and knotted rhizome develops a dense clump measuring at least 70cm (28in) tall, composed of numerous large entire leaves, with a sheathing base forming a false stem. Each leaf is unique. They are dark green or bluish-green, extensively variegated with cream-white. Thin floral stalks measuring 1.2m (4ft) in height appear in the midst of these apparent stems. They bloom from July until the first frost. The flowers resemble those of daylilies. The asymmetrical blooms boast a soft and luminous shade of salmon-orange. They are grouped in dense spikes and display thinner and longer petals than other varieties. The flowering is followed by the formation of fleshy and spiny capsules containing very hard spherical black seeds.

Hybrid cannas are majestic and colourful plants, ideal for adding spice to the back of flower beds or planted in large groups on a lawn. Their cultivation is accessible to all. Consider planting them in dense flower beds of about ten bulbs of the same variety, or by mixing green and purple foliage. Canna 'Stuttgart' can be used to create stunning exotic-looking container displays. Its variegated foliage is more beautiful in partial shade. It is a magnificent subject to plant at the edge of a body of water, surrounded by royal ferns with purple foliage. Grow this plant like a dahlia. Dig up the rhizomes before the frost arrives and replant them in spring.