Cannas give summer a tropical accent

With their bold lilylike flowers and leaves that resemble those of banana or ti plants, cannas add a tropical splash to gardens. These tuberous rhizomes grow in all climate zones identified in the Sunset Western Garden Book.

Few Western gardeners know more about raising cannas than Rosalind Sarver, an octogenarian who grows and sells more than 75 varieties at the nursery she owns in San Marcos, California. Sarver's most popular variety, she says, is scarlet 'Red President'. Her favorite is 'Eileen Gallo', a subtle combination of peach, rose-pink, and cream. Rare varieties include ivory white 'Ermine', a jazzy yellow-red miniature called 'Lucifer', and a two-tone pink named 'Rosalinda' in her honor.

Many kinds of canna grow 3 to 6 feet tall, but 11/2- to 3-foot-tall dwarf varieties, especially those with flowers in pastel shades, are increasing in popularity. Grow them in borders or large pots.

Sarver Nursery Co. sells bare-root canna rhizomes ($2.50 to $7.50 each), which are shipped starting in late fall. For a mail-order list, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the nursery, Box 905, San Marcos 92079.

Cannas prefer full sun (provide filtered shade in low-desert climate zone 13), rich fast-draining soil, and ample water when in bloom (the peak comes in August). In the low desert, October and November are the best months to plant cannas. In the West's coldest-winter areas (climate zones 1, 2, and 3), you'll need to lift canna roots in fall and store them in a freezeproof place during the winter, then replant them after the last frost in spring.

Deadhead spent blooms as they fade, and cut stalks to the ground after all flower clusters have bloomed. Divide rhizomes after the second or third year and replant divisions just under the soil surface.

TIPS, TRICKS, & SECRETS

Sending your own cut flowers to special friends

It's midsummer, and your garden is overflowing with flowers at their prime for cutting. Wouldn't it be nice to send a bouquet of them to a special friend?

Sunset staff gardener and floral designer Kim Haworth has developed successful techniques for sending cut-flower arrangements across the country using an overnight express service. "I rely mostly on foliage and just a bit of color," says Haworth, "but that's my design style."

In summer, the best flowers to ship are everlasting types, such as statice (Limonium perezii) and strawflower. Haworth also likes to include a dahlia or two, but each stem must be inserted in a water pick (available at craft stores or florist markets), which is also necessary for less sturdy flowers. You can experiment to see which flowers hold up by leaving them out of water for 18 to 24 hours.

Haworth's favorite plants for foliage or texture include ornamental grasses, stag-horn fern, and southern sword fern.

First, select a box (which you can buy at shipping stores) and a vase that will fit the box. Measure the length of the box, and cut the plants an inch or two shorter.

Arrange the plants in the vase. Tie the bouquet together with raffia just above the edge of the vase. Remove it from the vase and wire the stems together at the bottom.

Wrap the arrangement with waxed tissue paper (sold at craft stores or flower markets) or newspaper, reinsert into the empty vase, and then wrap the vase with plastic bubble wrap or newspaper. Line the box with paper and enclose the arrangement, carefully tucking in the foliage.

Pack more paper around the arrangement so it can't rattle around. You may want to add a card advising the recipient to clip stem ends and fill the vase with water upon arrival. Close the box and label it "Fragile" and "Perishable: Open Immediately."

You can ship cut flowers within any Western state and to most of these states except Hawaii. Check with the agriculture department of the destination state. Based on a weight of 3 to 5 pounds, expect to pay about $22 to $32 for overnight morning delivery by a carrier such as Federal Express.

PLANTING OPPORTUNITIES

Quick crops for cool summers

If you missed the conventional planting time for short-season summer vegetables, you can still shoehorn a crop into the remaining season. The trick is to start with seedlings, well-developed plants in large containers, or direct-sown seeds, and then push for even, fast growth. Any delay in plant growth could cost you the crop, so from the moment you start vegetables in garden soil, feed and irrigate evenly and consistently.

Seed. Don't try anything that takes more than 60 days from planting to harvest. Start by direct-sowing seeds in sifted, well-amended soil in a spot that gets full sun. Plant seeds where you want them to grow; this late, you can't afford to set back growth by transplanting. By choosing only the fastest varieties of different kinds of vegetables, you still have time to plant arugula (roquette), Asian vegetables (mostly Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and mustard), basil, beet, bush bean, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, peppers (both sweet and hot), radish, spinach, squash, and turnip.