'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
Truly exotic flowers & foliage
I'D always wanted to grow Cannas - they're exotic, with big leaves and blousy flowers - and after my visit to RHS Harlow Carr, I bought two in the plant centre.
They're not named (which I found quite surprising), but have very dark purple foliage and burnt orange flowers - they can reach 6ft tall.
As they're tender perennials, I started them into growth in the conservatory, then planted them into the big tulip tub, along with a golden elder (Sambucus nigra Aurea) for contrast.
Cannas can be grown in borders, but not in my heavy soil.
Spring growth
Start the rhizomes (big fleshy roots) into growth in spring by planting in 20cm (8in) pots using multi-purpose compost, just covering them with compost, leaving any young shoots exposed.
Water sparingly at first and keep them at a temperature of 10-16°C (50-61°F). Gradually harden them off before planting out after the last frosts.
Choose a container at least 30cm (1ft) wide, fill with John Innes No. 3 loam-based compost, with added controlled-release fertiliser. Plant the rhizomes 10cm (4in) deep.
Canna, cacti & Aeoniums
Fabulous burnt orange flower spike from one of my Cannas; great deep purple foliage too.
THERE are three stalwarts in my conservatory, all of them prickly and in their forties.
The oldest is my Easter-flowering cactus (Schlumbergera), although it's never flowered then.
All over the world, various cultivars are called the Christmas/Whitsun/General Holiday cactus. It was my gran's and was a fair age when she died in 1983.
The second is an epiphytic cactus, sometimes called an orchid or leaf cactus. It was a gift from a friend, who'd had it for years but it had never flowered.
She'd probably treated it too well, as it's continued to flower well, in the conservatory. The fruit's edible, but I'll give it a miss.
Last is my 42-year-old Opuntia, or bunny's ears cactus, bought at the Tyneside Summer Exhibition for 30p.
Care
Cacti and succulents are easy to grow, but they cannot stand being overwatered, as the roots will root. Use a special cacti compost, which is lower in nutrients and very free draining.
Keep them virtually dry when dormant in winter, only starting to water again in spring.
They will survive surprisingly low temperatures - mine stay in the unheated conservatory all winter, which has dropped below 5C.
Growing cacti
Above, one of the red flowers on the orchid, or ephiphytic cactus.
Above: Opuntia; my gran's old 'Easter'-flowering cactus.
Caring for Cannas
GIVE plenty of water in dry spells and apply a liquid fertiliser in midsummer.
Deadhead to encourage continued flowering. When a flower spike has no more buds, prune it down to the next side shoot - hopefully, another one will form.
Stake clumps in exposed positions.
You can grow them in cool conservatories in summer, in full light but shade plants from hot sun.
Overwintering
Move pot-grown specimens to a frost-free place, or lift the rhizomes once the top growth begins to wither in autumn. Cut down the foliage and stems to about 15cm (6in).
Remove surplus soil, dry and then store in trays in barely-damp wood vermiculite or multi-purpose compost.
Place in a frost-free position for the winter. Little, if any, watering should be necessary.
I'm a paragraph
Aeonium cuttings alongside the bananas.
Aeoniums
I'M the pround owner of four Aeonium cuttings, given to me by a lovely lady from the National Gardens Scheme.
Aeoniums are fleshy-leaved succulents that grow in a large rosette on a stem - some branch, some don't.
They're Canary Island natives, but unlike most succulents, they have shallow root systems and can't be allowed to dry out completely. Give the plant well-drained soil in a sunny location at temperatures between 4-38C.
These succulents are easy to grow from cuttings - cut off a rosette, let the cut end dry out for a couple of days, then plant in gritty compost.
Give potted plants an annual feed in spring when new growth starts. The most common problems are root rot - use clay pots with good drainage.
My two varieties are Aeonium arboreum Zwartkop, with a large rosette of almost black succulent leaves. The other is Aeonium arboreum, with green rosettes. Aeonium arboreum is monocarpic - it dies after flowering - but usually offsets along the stem.