|| Features

CANNA is a genus of 19 species of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Cannaceae. Although a plant of the tropics, most cultivars have been developed in temperate climates and are easy to grow in most countries of the world as long as they can enjoy about 6 hours average sunlight during the summer.

Cannas became very popular in Victorian times as a garden plant and were grown widely in France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the USA and have recently experienced a renewed interest and revival in popularity. They have been included in two categories as Horticultural Cannas and Agricultural Cannas.

These plants grow best in full sun with moderate water in well-drained rich or sandy soil. They generally grow 1.5 meters to 2 meters (5ft to 6ft) high, with a spread of nearly 60 centimetres (2ft).

They have many verities, some of which are: Canna 'Black Knight' (has bronze leaves and deep, dark red flowers, which add a stylish touch), Canna indica 'Purpurea' (the dark purple leaves are set off by the bright red, sometimes orange, flowers) Canna 'Lucifer' (a good choice for smaller gardens or beds because it grows just 60 centimetres (2ft) high, and has red and yellow flowers with bright green leaves) and Canna 'Striata' (the leaves are light green with a yellow tinge, and have marked bright yellow stripes or veins. They are topped by orange flowers).

Cannas are largely free of pests but the plants sometimes fall victim to Canna leaf rollers, or Brazilian skippers, the larval stage of a butterfly that cuts the leaves and rolls them over to live inside while pupating.

Affected leaves can be cut off and destroyed or unrolled and cleaned (removing the caterpillar). Slugs are fond of cannas and can leave large holes in the leaves, preferring the tender young leaves that have not yet unfurled.

Cannas may also fall victim to Canna rust, a fungus resulting in orange spots on the plant's leaves. Rust infestation is facilitated by over moist soil.

They are also susceptible to certain plant viruses, which may result in spotted or streaked leaves, in a mild form, but can finally result in stunted growth and twisted and distorted blooms and foliage.

Toy Fox Terriers

THE Toy Fox Terrier is a small Terrier breed of dog directly descended from the larger Fox Terrier. However this type of dog is considered as a separate breed.

It is a small dog with a muscular and athletic appearance. It has v-shaped ears and large eyes. The tail is short and straight. The coat is short, fine, and glossy in white with either black or tan spots. The average height of the breed is about 10 inches and weighs 3.5 to 7 pounds.

This breed is fairly healthy but can be affected with some of the diseases common to Toy breeds. It is good for apartment life as it is active indoors. This dog is also very easy to groom.

The Toy Fox Terrier is an intelligent, bold and athletic dog. It loves human company. These dogs are commonly used in circus shows by clowns. They make great companions for owners with a good sense of humour.

A breath of spring

EXHIBITION: Just when we need it most, a breath of spring time was brought to us in the form of "Supiri Mal Dekma", the flower show held at Viharamaha Devi park on December 8 to 10.

This exhibition included the excitement that a new gardening season is about to begin with newly imported plants, fertilisers and wonderful gadgets to make your garden chores a pleasure.

	Bangkok Gardenia This variety has flowers all year round and need a lot of sunlight. It grows out of bulbs and a fertilizer which has potassium and nitrogen is ideal for the plant's healthy growth.
	"Kudalu" - Impatient This plant loves sunlight. There are several colours to choose from, mainly red, white, orange and bi-colour. It is grows out of stems and flowers bloom all year through.
	Hawaiian Blue The Hawaiian blue originates from Hawaii. It can be grown in a mixture of soil and compost and needs sunlight. This plant needs to be watered in the mornings and afternoons.
	Great Jasmine-Bangkok A newly introduced variety to the field, the speciality about this species is its flowers which are small in size. The plant needs to be watered and taken care of as other species of Great Jasmines.

Spray roses

What is captivating about this species is that it generally blooms nearly 30 to 40 flowers in one bunch. This variety includes around 9 colours. It is a budded plant and flowers last to about one week.

Orchids-Cattleya

This variety had been introduced to the field around five years ago. This species has several colours to its name. Water should be applied once the soil around the plant is dry. White coloured Cattleyas are popular for bridal bouquets. This species is also called the "Queen of Orchids".

Orchid-Dendrobium

Dendrobiums have a number of coloured varieties. It differs from the Cattleyas in the fact that the flowers come of stems which are long like canes.

Anthurium-Whisper

This species can be obtained from seeds and small plants. It prefers shade and should be watered once a day.

Anthurium-Maxima

This is a small form of Anthurium, white in colour. This species should be treated with the same care that all Anthurium require. This plant is quite appropriate for Sri Lankan climate.

Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage

Garden Guide

With Dr. Fazal Sultanbawa, PhD, Director Research and Development CIC

Equitant Oncidiums

Many of us aspire to be orchid fanciers and wish that we could drop names of hybrids like a seasoned traveler describing the cities he has passed through.

Having failed in this aspiration but not willing to give up on domesticating an orchid, I stumbled upon a miniature which fitted my circumstances and ever since have enjoyed a degree of success that could easily be repeated by many an amateur plant aficionado.

Everyone is familiar with the 'Kandyan dancer' orchid, botanically called an Oncidium. Smaller in size than the 'Kandyan dancer' but similar in appearance is the equitant group of Oncidium.

This group is also referred to under a new generic name Tolumnia but the term equitant is better known. Hobbyists have been breeding equitants for some time and even tissue cultured plants are available in the USA.

Equitant Oncidiums are native to the Caribbean islands and this geographic isolation probably led to their evolution as a morphologically distinct group from the formal South American mainland genus of Oncidium. Their natural habitat is the branches of large trees.

Plants are small, ranging from 5-10 cm in height. Flowers are similar to Oncidiums in shape, only smaller, with blooms less than 3 cm in diameter, borne on a 15-20 cm tall spike.

Flower colour is quite diverse, with typically Oncidium-like mottling, but shades of yellow and red are more common. Selections bearing 10-14 flowers at a time are available, though most plants available locally have 4-8 flowers.

The spike is somewhat unique in that after blooming, it can branch again and bear more flowers - for this reason, do not cut off the bare spike after flowering.

Another feature worth keeping in mind is the absence of a pseudobulb, the swollen base of the plant, which is useful in other (non-cane type) orchids as a reservoir of water and nutrients. Therefore, equitants cannot be left uncared for, even for short periods.

The subject of light is an important one for any flowering plant and equitants need good light (8-10 hours a day) for healthy growth and regular flowering - only avoid direct sunlight. Flowering has also been reported under fluorescent lights.

Due to their small size, groups of plants can be kept indoors on a window sill or ledge, but ensure that plants do not get overheated in an enclosed room when you are away from home.

A bathroom window is an excellent location (if you don't mind them staring at you!), because the high humidity inside prevents the medium from drying out fast.

Any of the commonly used materials for growing orchids, such as pieces of tile or brick, charcoal, coconut husk, wood chips etc are good as growing medium.

Watering has to be regular (decide what is the best frequency under your specific conditions, according to the dryness of the growing medium), for reasons mentioned above, but like for most plants, over watering can be a death sentence.

Fertilise using any balanced, commercially available orchid fertiliser or foliar feed - a 20:20:20 NPK blend sprayed every 2-3 weeks, supplemented with a complete fertiliser containing micronutrients every 2-3 months is sufficient.

If your plants are growing rapidly, it is better to reduce the interval between applications of fertiliser rather than increase the dosage per application. Equitants are not fast growers, so you do not have to feed them as intensively.

The difficult part is the daily care and calls for some innovation. Today, few have the time to regularly water and care for indoor plants.

For them, I suggest the following, referring to the drawings below. Grow equitants in a net pot (you get to choose the size) or well perforated pot, with a medium available to you.

Then place this pot in or over a larger, water-tight container. Water the plants once a week and allow water to drain into the outer container.

Do not throw this water away (but do check it occasionally for mosquito larvae!), but leave it to evaporate and provide the humidity that the orchid needs around the roots.

To retain the humidity and to keep the mosquitoes out, the two containers should fit securely. Also ensure that the level of water in the outer container does not rise to the level of the root - just throw away any excess water, but ensure that there is some water always in the outer container.

A variation of this technique is to have a cloth wick connecting the water with the growing medium, however, this can sometimes lead to too much wetness in the medium, especially on rainy days.

This is by no means a new technique, but we often tend to forget the familiar and not use it in the right situation. To add value to this method, you can use a decorative ceramic vase or brass cylinder to hold the net pot - you then have the perfect centre piece and proof that small can indeed be beautiful.

Easy to grow Cannas