Drawf Canna Lily

This is another purchase I got from Sg. buloh.
I was looking for this dwarf version of Canna lily which I wanted to place in my pond as they can handle aquatic environment.

Then again, noting that my fish are hungry all the time and they might just try to take a bite from this plant and chances are this pot is laced with chemicals that might be harmful for my fish. 

Anyway, I think they will do well here for now.
I might replace the green leaved Colocasias species with this flowering plant..
Its going to take a bit of sacrifice - either to introduce them to a new place outside somewhere or giving it away to someone.
Its just a matter of time.

Till then, I'm just going to enjoy my Canna lily plants.

A Canna Story

I was going to a nearby nursery to buy 2 bags of sand (one red, and other bag)
Both are sold for RM2.70 which is quite reasonable compared to other place where it is sold for RM3 or even RM3.50.

Anyway, coming back to the story, I spotted this new set-up placed in this recreational area, I guess its a badminton court. Somehow, I got drawn with all these glorious red & orange blooms by the street side.

I took a quite check and found these plants. I guess these are few week old by looking at the way these plants are doing.

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Let me take you step by step of this Canna lily growth progress.

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First the plant, growing from rhizome.

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The first bud

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Then I noticed all the flowers have this strange factor, they flower bud curves.

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And curves

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In fact most of the flower inflorescence curves.

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Put out the green fruits.

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So called fruits turning into seedpods.

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And finally a fully matured seedpod with black seed in it.

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I noticed a section of this garden is heavily damaged with withered leaves, it looked like a insect infestation. With a close look I found these grasshoppers having a time of their lives. With no predators the are so oblivious of my presence.

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Pity these lilies, Hope the care taker notice these and do something about it.

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Canna Lily Seed Pod

I was waiting for my wife to finish her work and found this canna lily in her workplace garden. Often noticed that canna lilies are sterile but this one had seedpods. Decided to take some shots while waiting for her.

Now, I have a good collection of seeds collected and no place and time to plant them. (sob..sob..)

Canna lilies are more successfully grown using rhizome instead of seeds, but its easier to use seeds when you don't want to uprooting them (in having the hassle with tough soil and deep roots)

Another thing is that the flower stalks tend to dry up and its all leaves and no flower factor. This happens after the blooming period is over. Some gardener just sliced off the whole plant and let the plant to put up new shoots of which it will come together with flowers.

I think this plant had overspend all the flowers and now giving out the seedpods to say its goodbyes. Notice the flower, its very immatured and unattractive.

A stroll in Jinjang

Even if you live in the most riches part of the city or perhaps the most poorest rural area...
you will never miss one thing : A Gardener was Here.

This is a story of another abandoned area where my in-law lives. I wanted to check this place as I noticed most of the temporary houses were torn down and cleared. (except for the remnant of what is left of the garden)

Back to these plants - I cannot stop admiring this Canna Lily. It is short and dense, unlike others which I come across (tall and spaced out) I wanted to take this one and plant it in my house, but I was thinking that it would rarely flower and it may need good sunlight.

The place I live is very shaded - sadly I have to bit this one goodbye, I know the days are numbered for this plant. Sooner or later, a grass cutter is going to cut and slice all this to ground zero.
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Take note of the background. What can be seen here is the flooring of what was all the houses "rumah panjang". I guess the clearing is done systematically one row at a time as the families starts shifting.

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This is a nice pretty heliconia species. I really like this one but also the same case with the calla lily. I still have few pots of the heliconia plants which they rarely flower. They don't really do well when pot bound.

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I should have taken a scissors and cut all the flower stalks for a floral decoration. They look good in tall vases.

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Someone had uprooted some of this extra overgrown plant and threw it at the roadside. I guess this plant went thru a pruning session. I manage "rescue" them but they are mostly in a bad shape (They must been pruned & left for days)

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It look like a variegated type of canna lily and heliconia but have not seen its flowers. I also noticed that they have tubers. What I like about this plant is that it has the semi white & the semi green counterpart colours in one leaf.

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I remember having this plant in my mum's garden but it eventually died as it became dormant or forgotten or maybe over watering may had killed the plant.

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I checked the googled but unable to find the name of this plant. Any help is very much appreciated.

Updated:

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I finally managed to find its name: Never never plant or Bamburanta.

Comes from the Ctenanthe genus from the Marantas family (closely resemble the prayer plant & peacock plant)

I found that there are many different varieties of this kind and mostly each species may have its own specific names.

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I have note specifically identified this one, only found the tricolor's name : (Ctenanthe Oppenheimiana) The tricolor is more beautiful as it has the red underside.

Also known as Stromanthe sanguinea 'Tricolor'.

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So I'm still not very sure which is which but the one I have is not this as the one doesn't have the red underside.

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Red Canna Lily

This is one of the plants that is growing in my wife office area. Manage to take these pictures while waiting for her to finish her work. I use to admire these flowers when I was a child, often spot them at the bank of the river or wetlands. I also wished I can get them on my hands as I was curious to find how these petals are formed (which one is up or down??)
I also mistaken them for an iris plant.

I guess those childhood moments are forgotten and again these memories flash back again when faced them face to face. They don't look so interesting or intrigue as those moments. Anyway, here it goes another story of childhood plants.

Canna Lilies

1) Grown using rhizome (root tuber or bulb)
They can also be propagated by seeds (spherical black seeds formed in seedpods)

2) Not a true lily but more from the ginger, heliconia & banana species.

3) Can also be grown in poorly drained areas and in shallow ponds. Need full sun for flowers to bloom.