Christmas week and the pending arctic blast have put dread in the hearts of most gardeners in the South. But old Bing and The Andrews Sisters and their Christmas rendition of "Mele Kalikimaka" has put a spring into my step and an idea of what we can all do.
The Garden Guy in Georgia has gingers still intact, Rockin salvias blooming and even some Soprano impatiens with flowers, so 16 degrees Fahrenheit and a 20-to-30-mph wind doesn’t bode well for any lush herbaceous plant life. It also doesn’t help the mood of a garden writer.
This silver-haired horticulturist retreated indoors and told Alexa to play Bing Crosby Christmas songs. The first one up today: "Mele Kalikimaka." Bing and The Andrew Sisters were singing "Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright/ The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night/ Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii’s way/ To say Merry Christmas to you."
That’s it! While we may not be able to go to the islands for Christmas or even to vacation this summer, we know that come spring, we can make our yards, our patios or even just one mixed container look like the tropics. We can indeed have our little corner of paradise.
If you are wondering where to start, I would point you to the award-winning Toucan Cannas. You may be surprised to know that the company that brings you Supertunia petunias, Superbells calibrachoas and Superbena verbenas has put together the most outstanding Cannas under the Proven Winners and Proven Selections labels.
Last year I grew Toucan Dark Orange, and it was everything I had hoped for and more. It bloomed all summer at just the right height. I combined it with the ColorBlaze Lime Time coleus for a festival look. I was beyond thrilled to have bees and butterflies hitting on it daily. Oddly, I saw red-banded hairstreaks and cloudless sulphur butterflies feeding on them on multiple occasions and even together, too.
The Toucan series has four color options. In addition to Dark Orange, there is Scarlet, Yellow and a Coral that offers the garden what I consider to be the rarest and hardest color to find. If orange is too gaudy for you, then tone it down with Toucan Coral.
Proven Winners has also developed a recipe that screams "paradise found." The recipe is called Back in the Day, and you will find it searching their site for Toucan Coral. Obviously, it features Toucan Coral Canna as the thriller, but it also includes four new 2023 releases: Graceful Grasses (Queen Tut papyrus as a totally different-textured co-thriller), Supertunia Persimmon petunia, ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon coleus and Luscious Lemon Tart lantana. If you have ever promised yourself you would try a recipe, this is where you should start.
Regardless of the variety you choose, the best blooming will occur in full sun, though partial shade is certainly tolerated. While the plants can thrive in soggy conditions, they will be more cold-hardy in fertile and well-drained soils. You can expect them to be perennial in zones 7-10. In colder regions, consider digging the rhizomes for storage or growing in containers that will allow them to be tucked inside the garage for the dormant season.
My plant pathologist friend in Tennessee said there is not much we can do about the arctic blast besides hope the weather model is wrong and protect what we can. On the positive side, start planning Christmas in July with Toucan Cannas. Why not sing a chorus or two of "Mele Kalikimaka" along with Bing and The Andrews Sisters?
____
(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)
(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)
