Canna Eden - Giant Indian shot

Giant Canna 'Eden' is a spectacular tropical perennial also called Indian shot, with a dense habit and broad, lush green foliage evoking exotic plantations. Its large coral-pink flowers bloom from July to October, providing a powerful visual effect in borders or in pots. As they are not very hardy, it is essential to dig up the rhizomes as soon as frost threatens or to protect them generously under mulch in mild climates. This tall cultivar is a remarkable landscaping asset, perfect as a backdrop, specimen, or in a pot, with regular feeding.

Giant Canna ‘Eden’, also known as Indian shot, belongs to the botanical family Cannaceae, generally classified among the hybrids of Canna × generalis derived from Canna indica. The type species Canna indica originates from tropical America (Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, etc.) and has naturalised in many regions worldwide. ‘Eden’ is a cultivar obtained by Ernest Turc, measuring approximately 2.10 m in height and 70 cm in width, much more imposing than the type species. This plant adopts an erect habit with robust stems. Its growth is rapid; it can reach its full size in a few months from planting the rhizome (often from the first season). Canna regularly produces offshoots from its rhizomes, allowing vegetative propagation. The flowers are hermaphroditic, zygomorphic, with fused petals, averaging 7‑10 cm in length, coloured coral-pink to salmon. Flowering extends from July to October. Pollination is entomophilous, carried out by insects that transport pollen from the flattened style. After flowering, globose chestnut-brown capsules, 1.5 to 3 cm in diameter form, containing hard, black, inedible seeds. The foliage can be deciduous to semi-evergreen, depending on climate, and consists of large, simple, broadly elliptical, green leaves, measuring 30 to 60 cm in length and 10 to 25 cm in width, borne on a short petiole, with characteristic parallel veins. The green, fleshy stems form a dense pseudostem. The root system is a branched, segmented rhizome which can reach 60 cm in length; this rhizome can be dug up and divided in spring or autumn.

In a summer scene, Giant Canna ‘Eden’ imposes its height as a visual pivot, a kind of living architecture around which the garden can be arranged. We imagine it rising from a lush border, as a backdrop to plants with exuberant foliage such as colocasias or castor oil plants, or springing from a large glazed pot on a sun-drenched terrace. Its coral-pink flowers harmonise with the golden tones of Canna ‘Yellow Humbert’. In a painterly garden, ‘Eden’ becomes a vibrant touch, a vertical and lively accent.