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Fragrant canna

18 years ago

I have a group of yellow cannas that came with the house we bought 2 summers ago. I dug up some of the rhizomes in the spring and potted them up in three 1-gallon pots because I wanted to transplant some to a rental property my husband and I are rehabbing. Of course the rehabbing dragged on through the summer and the plants have grown leggy in their pots, with narrow leaves and no flowers. Surprise! The other day, I noticed one bloom, not yellow, but white. Also to my surprise, it smells like a gardenia. What's up? I did not know that cannas could be fragrant. It'll go into my tropical garden grouping instead of to the rental house! Will it continue to bloom like this, or is the color and fragrant a fluke or some reaction to less-than-ideal conditions?

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Comments (3)

marquest
18 years ago
You dug up Gingers. Probably White Butterfly. They are hardy in your area. You described the leaves of the ginger plant. It is fragrant and it blooms white.
butterflychaser
18 years ago
Cannas are not fragrant, and white ones are rare. In fact, they aren't really white. They are pale yellow that fade to whitish in the sun.

Is this what it looks like:

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{{gwi:538096}}

That's Butterfly Ginger, with foliage a lot like a canna, so it's easy to make the mistake. For me the gingers don't start blooming til about Sept. Cannas start in June.

I also have this peach ginger with a little different fragrance:

{{gwi:538098}}

The blooms resemble Butterflies, thus the nickname. They are in the Hedychium family.

Enjoy the fragrance and watch for Hummingbird Moths who love them, as seen in the first picture above, taken from my gardens.

NancyAnn
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Love Flowers
2 years ago
Actually those type specifically smell wonderful. in japan they use the rhizome for starch and the leaves for cooking things .its long forgotten. You have a true treasure . i live in Hawaii and im trying to get that same one for my garden but without success . im happy for you my dear .

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