The Canna Flower

 Cannas are one of my personal favorite plants groups. They are striking in the garden with beautiful flowers in a wide range of colors and bold foliage. Over the years cannas come in and out of popularity and availability.  In the 1700's and 1800's only the well off Europeans were growing cannas in their gardens. The canna was seen as a strange new plant form the new world and they started taking the Victorian gardens by storm. As the cannas popularity grew so did the breeding, hybrids began to improve on the flower size and over all shape and size of the plant. By the early 1900's some of the more well known cannas were being developed by breeders around the world.

How to Make a Wabi-Kusa

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How to Make a Wabi-Kusa 

                   

Wabi-Kusa is a fairly new term to a lot of people. It comes from a Japanese aquarium artist named Takashi Amano. He is well known in the aquarium world for revolutionizing the entire industry. His aquariums look like works of art. While developing his technique in aquarium-scapes he had plants pre-grown in moss balls to use in the aquarium construction. This was extremely smart since he was able to get well grown plants set up in the aquarium instantly after insulation. The moss ball technique was later used to develop a whole new low maintenance aquarium movement. The idea was to set a moss ball with plants growing on it in a shallow tank or bowl of water and allow it to grow. The results can be very rewarding and it reminds me a lot of an aquatic version of bonsai. Much like bonsai the different variations of wabi-kusa have become only limited to what can be grown on a moss ball.

Winter Projects: Terrariums & More

In winter, here in Kentucky, I need projects that will help me bring the outdoors inside.  I found working on my aquariums, terrariums and wabi kusa have been a lot of fun and a great way to bring a little green inside. Just seeing these little habitats take off and grow helps prevent cabin fever.

What is the difference between a terrarium, aquarium, paludarium, vivarium and wabi-kusa? The main difference is the amount of H2O in each habitat.

Aquariums

Aquariums are full of water with a mixture of fish and or plants fully submerged under the surface. Different types of ecosystems can be displayed in aquariums from fresh water to salt water. The Aquariums can be set up for displaying multiple fish and spawning or to showcase one specimen. My personal preference is when an tank is set up to capture nature. Many of these planted tanks are often refereed to as Aquascapes.

My aquarium

Colocasia Gigantea

Colocasia gigantea

It seems I need to add to this post. Colocasia Gigantea is now known by science as Leucocasia gigantea. It has been removed from the Colocasia group into it's own section.

Colocasia Gigantea (Thailand Strain) is a unique and large growing plant in the Araceae family (commonly called Aroids). The family consist of many unusual plants including Amorphophallus (voodoo lilies), Alocasia and Colocasia (elephant ears) and Spathiphyllum (peace lilys). 

Colocasia Maximus Gigantes PPAF

Colocasia Maximus Gigantes is one of a few new hybrids recently released in the Gigantes Series. This series is focused on a new type of Colocasia, they are an inter-genetic hybrid crossed with Leucocasia gigantea (Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant). These hybrids tend to be larger and more robust than regular Colocasia they also tend to show some new exciting traits not seen in other Colocasia hybrids. Colocasia Maximus gigantes produces leaves over 4 feet long and over 2 feet wide. Plants grow very large quickly. The below plant was grow in Louisville, KY in regular rich soil and in part sun. Plant was in 4 1/2 inch pot on May 10th and grew to this size by late August.

Colocasia Maximus PPAF

Colocasia "Black Ripple" PP26,151

Colocasia "Black Ripple" PP26,151 is one of most exciting hybrids to come out of our breeding program. The plants are vigorous and tight growing, which makes it very useful in every part of the garden from mass plantings to single plants in containers.


The leaves of Colocasia "Black Ripple" PP26,151are very dark and contrast well with light colored plants. The foliage has an amazing puckered/corrugated effect which gives it a 3D pattern not seen on any other hybrid. To top it off the beauty of this plants, leaves have a gorgeous sheen which reflects the light. The light that is reflected in the leaves causes Colocasia "Black Ripple" PP26,151 to look dramatically different throughout the day. Visitors to our trail fields have commented that Colocasia "Black Ripple" PP26,151 looks like it is out of this world, like it belongs on another planet. Dark red to black petioles contrast greatly with the robust dark maroon undersides of the leaves as they emerge and move in the breeze.