I hate cannas, but I grow about 10 different ones

so, am I crazy? Tell us what plants you have openly declared as non-grata, yet they're in your gardens.

When I first moved to our present house, I spent hours--no, DAYS pulling out overgrown cannas. I swore I wouldn't grow them ever. Then I discovered variegated leafs, dwarfs, pinks, whites cannas and have found them irresistible. But I still "hate" cannas.....

Same with vines. I have cleared enough vines to fill up an olympic sized pool, ugh! Yet I grow clematis, 3-4 cl roses, a couple of tropicals vines. Would I yank them out? Not on your life, but I still hate vines, lol.

I don't like cannas in my flowerbeds but I've found the ideal place for them here on our 5 1/2 acres. I have a little nook that hubby cleared out on the opposite side of our driveway. It looked like it needed something but I didn't want anything that would require too much care as it's so far down the driveway. Cannas fit the bill perfectly. They are tough as nails and can take care of themselves. Hubby did put a water hydrant down there for me so I just go down every so often when it's real dry and give them a drink. I also was real reluctant to utilize vines but I got a Mexican Flame vine this spring from a DGr down in FL. Hubby put up one section of split rail fence just out from our patio and I planted them there. They are beautiful now. I have several clematis but I consider them a "polite" vine as they don't spread all over the creation.

I am like Naturelover as I have a very good place for some tall cannas and I do grow them in this particular spot. I have some dwarf cannas with beautiful colors I grow in some of the gardens. I love the dwarfs.

I have the misfortune of having a type of bulbous 4 o'clock that I had no idea would deal me so much misery!! I will be pulling those things out for years to come probably. The bulbs are huge. I had no idea what they would be like when I planted them. Woe is me!!!

IDancy, I didn't know there was a type of 4 o'clock that had bulbs! I thought they all just had normal roots. I've gotten where I research EVERYTHING very carefully on the internet before I even think about buying it to put in my yard. Just can't be careful enough--there are too many thugs out there.

Colocasia, the blue green leafed elephant ears. They are my nemesis that I will never get rid of. I have difficulty believing some folks actually pay money for these thugs. Also, Chi Chi the mexican petunia, what a problem that has been for me. I hate plants that make me unhappy.

Others strangely I just do not like for some unknown reason. Brugs fall into that category; I know this is sacrilegious but they just do not turn me on in any way. I have always had trouble growing them and I suspect it was because I didn't love them.

Lately I am developing an aversion to many of my crinums. They are so spectacular when blooming but that ratty looking foliage 12 months of the year is getting to me. I have a favorite, Mrs. James Hendry, and she will probably be my only crinum soon.

DH hates amaryllis (which I love) he thinks the flowers look artificial, like plastic. Go figure.

I used to hate Hydrangeas. Old lady plants I called them. Now I grow a beautiful variegated kind and I'm trying to sneak more varieties into the garden. I'm desperately trying to find the right space for a paniculata. Could be because I'm now an old lady :)

I hate vines too, especially morning glory, star jasmin and ivy. Ugh. I grow clematis though. Some spots just can't do with out a vine.

i've pulled up and dug out almost every canna. they look terrible here most of the time. the first year i had them they were in the rose garden and were tall and spectacular because they got so much water and feed-then they started eating roses. i moved them, then moved them again and finally dumped them except for down by the lake.

john loves the amaryllis more than any other plant i have and i don't like them much at all. they are great inside in winter though. a friend gave me one for christmas this year and it really brightened up the house and was great fun to watch.

i have one brug and it bloomed last year while john was in the hospital. i happened to see it one evening as i was driving in from the daily visit. i never even went over and looked at it! lol i think it's a bad one, 'Peaches n Cream'. it's variegated and supposed to bloom all the time-yeah, right.

i finally dug up the 4' o'clock in the back yard. good lord what a monster root/bulb, whatever. it was easily larger than a coconut and twice as hard and heavy.

OOOOHHH!!! I'll take your castaway, unwanted cannas!!! And, I have to lift, store and replant them every year in my part of the country but I will, and I do, cause I LOVE 'EM!!! Just give me a 'holler' and I'll ante up the postage... :)

AND, ditto to ardesia re: the blue/green EE's---can't find those offered anywhere here in the north...

...this thread made me just remember the saying that "...one person's junk is another person's treasure..."

Jan...into BIG plants...castor beans, brugs, EE's, cannas...

Jan, you need to move south the plants get reallllllly big here and fast too. It is almost impossible to keep up with cannas here. They multiply faster than bunnies do. LOL

I'll keep you in mind for the ee's.

Thanks ardesia! We DEFINATELY are planning to move south as soon as we can retire (approx 9 more years to go :)

I think the reason that I do the tropicals is that no one else grows anything 'exciting' here like brugs and EE's and I don't want my garden style to be like everyone else's here. I don't do tulips, daffs, crocus---I personally find those 'boring'---I want OOOMPH!!! JMHO :)

Jan

You will reeeally love it here in the south then. There isn't much we can't grow here and like ardesia said, we can grow 'em super big! And of course, our growing season is much longer than yours. Where in the south do you plan to move to?

ardesia I don't like crinums because of how ratty the leaves get. however I do have 3 crinums, a yellow leaf one from the Buried Treasures coop, a var. green/white from a lovely DGer and the crinum procerum var. asiaticum (or something like that--it's a looooong dang name). These have large leaves and grow stiffly upwards. None of the ratty look.

There you have it, I hate crinums but I have three. what is wrong with me?????

Oh, I forgot about the asiaticum, that one is a winner. It's just these old Ellen Bosenquets and a couple of others that will have to go. The bulbs are probably as large as VW bugs so they may be with me for a while........

I have been giving my cannas away for years but they are still popping up so I never are completely free of them - and it is OK because they are pretty (in moderation.) And, like you the pretty variations on some are really worth it. I love the sun shining through Tropicanna leaves inthe afternoon.

Ard, it is sacrilegious not to like brugs,lol. as well as hibbies do for you, seems like you could grow brugs in your sleep. hmmmmm, one of those mysteries that all gardeners experience.

There is part of my brain (a very small part, as I have a very small brain) that just does not relate to brugs.

ardesia-
We haven't definately planned just where, or how far, 'south' we're gonna go---still in the 'planning' stages. We're TOTALLY fed-up with WI being one of the HIGHEST taxed states and neither one of us is fond of the brutal WI winters. My only 'condition' (wherever we resettle) is I WANT a 'real' GH---and I still won't want to grow tulips, daffs, crocuses...

Also, on growing brugs or any other plant for that matter---if you WANT the plant to grow and give it tlc, etc. etc. etc. it seems that you're doomed for failure...BUT, a plant that you do not want will survive-no matter what!!! LOL!

Jan

Jan, LOL, you SO NEED to be down where it is warm. 9 years? That is a long time but we'll be waiting for you.

ardesia,
...as soon as I read your above post I thought "Good Ole Southern Hospitality"...I LOVE it!!! Hubby will be 59 in Sept and I'll be 56 next month. We have discussed DH retiring at 62, drawing SS, working part-time and me working til 65 due to health insurance purposes but we need to talk/plan more and then, of course, there's the housing market slump (ugh!). All I want is to have a place where you can sit outside and commune with nature while enjoying a cup of coffee, iced tea or a cocktail, not have to worry so much about wind chill factors, enuff room/land for a GH and not be 10 feet away from the next-door neighbors. OK...back to reality and 'back' to work :)

"ME"

I want all the plants or I'll just die. ^_^

LOL

here is one of my hated ones. I tried to get it IDed in the canna forum but no luck. I think it is a species. was supposed to be dwarf red spitzer but not. But I'm happy with it. I whacked my cannas to the ground in early Oct and it is up to about 1 ft and borer free

shot of flower

view of the entire plant

here are some dwarfs that are still blooming.....and canna roller free! lol

do you have to trim it at all? also, I love the oyster plant to the left but it's too cold for them here.

i trim each stem to the ground after it is done blooming and new ones keep coming up. i had these planted in the yard but the weeds took over so i dug them up this summer and put them in this pot. as soon as we have a frost, they will blacken and i'll trim them for the winter. they'll be outgrowing that pot by next summer......arghhhhhh. i had an old birdbath top that was too deep for the birds so at least i don't have to water too often. i just fill the saucer up.

yeah, i like those oysters too. we had a pretty hard freeze last year and it didn't faze them. it must be where they're sitting. they get a little protection. that little red crown had one half totaly blackened. i was bad and didn't cover anything.

Whine, whine, whine is all I hear from you wimpy southerners says mitten-clad dahlia nut. Here's my back yard at the moment. ( Now that I'm in the time of the cold and the dark I'll say ANYTHING to get a good duke happenin ^_^ )