Canna Perkeo - Indian shot

Canna 'Perkeo' is a medium-sized variety that produces flowers that open in pastel coral-pink before turning into cherry-pink, finely edged with yellow. This rhizomatous perennial bears a cluster of large, wide, very attractive bright green leaves. It blooms throughout summer in erect panicles of flowers, guaranteeing an exotic atmosphere in any garden. It is suitable for planting at the back of sunny borders, around a pond or patio. It is frost-sensitive, so its rhizomes should be protected from heavy frosts, as with dahlias in regions with cold winters. This perennial thrives in heat and sunlight, and requires well-drained soil that is moist and rich.

Canna 'Perkeo' is a horticultural hybrid, belonging to a large group of hybrids with an unknown or complex lineage, all of which are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. This plant belongs to the Cannaceae family, and is in the same group as gingers and bananas. In spring, a thick and knotted rhizome develops a dense clump measuring 100cm (39in) tall and 50cm (20in) wide, composed of numerous large entire leaves with sheathing bases forming false stems. The colour of the leaf blades is a medium green tinged with blue. Thin floral stalks appear in the centre of these apparent stems from July to October. The asymmetrical flowers are grouped in dense spikes and display petals that are initially pastel coral-pink and then turn into cherry-pink, finely edged with sulphur yellow. The vegetation dries up at the end of the season, while the plant enters dormancy. Canna rhizomes are sensitive to frost and prefer to spend the 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 smaller varieties. They are easy to grow. Consider planting them in a bed with about ten bulbs of the same variety, or mix them with green and purple foliage plants. Use them to decorate a corner of a pond along with coleus, ferns, and ground cover species like helxines or creeping jenny. Canna 'Perkeo' 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 first frost arrives and replant them in spring.