Many Cannas, especially those bought as tubers in spring are infected with virus, which cause poor distorted growth, marked leaves and flowers. It'll spread like wildfire to any other Cannas you grow, if you're lucky enough to have uninfected plants. See this earlier post.
One way around this is to grow them from seed, though of course the plants won't be anything like the showy named hybrids, but the species varieties hold a certain charm of their own.
Last autumn I was sent seed of a species Canna from the states by a Facebook contact (what did we ever do before the time when the internet connected us with plant lovers all over the world??)
I held off planting them up until spring was well under wayas I don't have additional heat, seeds are started in the house where light conditions aren't brilliant.
It was supposedly given the name Canna compacta var. cinnabarina by Yuccado Nursery but is actually C. indica var. Maculata.
Canna seeds have incredibly hard outer coats, so tough that they have supposedly been used as shot during the Indian mutiny when the soldiers ran out of bullets. Urban legend? I dunno.
I used nail clippers to nick the seed coat, just enough so that some of the white endosperm can be seen, but not deep enough to cause damage to it.
I then put them in water and place in warm conditions, near the hot water tank in my house. I then change the water daily so ensure that it doesn't get the chance to go stagnant.
Within a couple of days many begin to sprout with a small white radicle (embryonic root) pokes through.
It's then time to move them into bright conditions, so far I'd say I've had about 75-80% successful germination with this batch of seed.
A count yesterday showed 48 young seedlings. Plenty to grow on for myself, as well as loads to share with friends and use in plant swaps.
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