Canna Taroudant - Indian shot

Canna 'Taroudant' is an exceptional cultivar with bright orange flowers, widely edged and speckled with yellow. This rhizomatous perennial bears a clump of large oblong green leaves that harmonise beautifully with its summer flowers, which have a unique and vibrant pattern. This ornamental plant brings an exotic touch to water gardens and brightens up sunny flower beds. This dwarf variety is ideal for containers and borders. In cooler climates, the rhizomes need to be overwintered in a dry place, just like dahlias. Plant it in a warm and sunny location with rich, moist, and well-drained soil.

Canna 'Taroudant' is a horticultural hybrid, belonging to a large group of canna hybrids of unknown or complex lineage, all originating from tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. This plant belongs to the Cannaceae family, in the same group as gingers and bananas. In spring, its thick and knotty rhizome gives rise to a dense clump measuring 60cm (24in) in height and 40cm (16in) in width, composed of numerous large entire leaves with sheathing bases that form pseudo-stems. The colour of the leaf blades is a medium green tinged with blue. From July to October, thin floral stems appear in the centre. The asymmetrical flowers, measuring 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, are grouped in dense spikes and display petals of a vibrant orange, widely edged and dotted with yellow. The vegetative growth dries up at the end of the season, while the plant enters a period of 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 the 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. Use them to adorn a corner of a pond alongside colocasias, ferns, and ground cover species such as helxines or creeping jenny. Canna 'Taroudant' 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.