Cannas for the lazy gardener

Canna indica 'Red Stripe' (September 2012)

I don't think I've gone a single year since starting this garden without growing cannas.  They are a lazy gardener's dream, producing maximum "oomph" with minimal work.  They look tropical, they grow fast, they love heat, they require little care, they have handsome foliage, and hummingbirds love their flowers.  What more could we ask of any garden plant?  Well, a bit of hardiness, for one thing.  I'm sick of people telling me that their cannas overwinter in the ground when I've had no luck with them surviving any but the warmest winters.  That means digging up the rhizomes and storing indoors, buying new ones in the spring, or bumming them off a gardening friend or family member.  Let's see, which one of these requires the least effort?

Labor day laziness

Monday was a holiday and I woke up a bit earlier than I would have liked, but the morning sun and cool breeze were worth it, hinting at fall just around the corner.  It was a perfect long weekend and the perfect end to the summer, three straight days of blue skies, warm sunny days with low humidity, and cooling down nicely at night.  Aside from finishing a blog post and puttering in the garden a bit, I didn't accomplish much but what better place to laze on a pleasant end-of-summer day than the roof deck.   

Lazy summer days

Temperatures cooled down a bit this evening--meaning around 80 degrees (27 C)--so I thought I would do some light garden work after dinner.  There's a reason why this is such an uncharacteristic thing for me to do.  The temperature was deceptive and an hour later I was drenched in sweat, but at least I got some begonias planted (yes, I'm still planting begonias, and still have a few more to go!) and Vitex agnus-castus deadheaded.  The plant was just about finished blooming and trimming it back now will give me a good second bloom in a few weeks.  I'm already seeing a second bloom on my butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), which I deadheaded just two weeks ago.

Will summer ever come?

This has been the winter that just won't let go.  Just two days after a lovely springlike day that saw crocuses blooming, we got whomped with another snowstorm.  The forecast as of last night was 3 to 6 inches of snow for the region, and 1-3 inches of snow in the city.  Hoo-boy were they wrong!  I measured 8 inches of snow on my back deck this morning.  The above photo shows the view from the deck this morning.  Meanwhile here is the deck itself:



After a winter like this one, it's hard to remember that summer will eventually come, and the weather will be warm again!  In fact before you know it, we'll all be complaining about the heat and humidity.  In just a few months this will be the view from my back deck (perhaps minus a few of the palms!):



And this will be the deck:



In the meantime, all I can do is dream, and keep reminding myself that spring is right around the corner!

DC Tropics on TV!

 
Photo:  Michael K. Wilkinson

In 2007, Dan and I started planning a renovation project for our 1927 rowhouse in Washington, DC; construction was completed in late 2008.  Earlier this year, part of our project was featured on an episode of HGTV's "Bang For Your Buck".  In case you missed the episode, it will be airing again on Friday, November 15 at 10:00 am (but check your local listings).

Rooftop Gardening: Rising Above It All

Summer may have ended (and with it our rooftop cocktails on warm evenings) but we'll continue enjoy our deck on warm days well into November, and even occasionally through the winter.  We talked for years about putting a rooftop deck on our Washington, DC rowhouse and a few years ago we decided to make it happen.*  This photo, taken by our architect's photographer shortly after the renovation was completed, gives a better idea of how the deck relates to the interior of the house:


Photo: Michael K. Wilkinson

The roof extends to provide shelter from sun and rain but floods the interior with light all winter when the sun is lower in the sky.  The deck is a wonderful place to sit on a summer evening, and on all but the hottest evenings we get a refreshing breeze.



The deck feels surprisingly private thanks to the numerous mature trees in the neighborhood, which block the view of most of our neighbors.  We even have a view of the National Cathedral (although the view would be better if our neighbors down the row didn't also have a deck!).



As much as we love the rooftop deck, gardening has proven to be a challenge because many plants simply can't take the sun, the wind, and the heat.  The ones that do survive need watering nearly every day, and in hot sunny weather sometimes twice a day.  Don't even think about rooftop gardening unless you have a water source!  (A rooftop spigot was part of our design.)  Among the plants that have done well are Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum':

 

gaura:



and cannas:



BTW this is the first time I've ever had success with gaura!  It detests heavy, wet soils and will not tolerate any shade whatsoever.  The grueling conditions on the rooftop seem to suit it, and unlike many of the other plants it's a hardy perennial and doesn't need to be re-planted every year.   It blooms from late spring right up until frost, the only drawback being that the flowers fade by mid-day.  I've been pleasantly surprised by my success with cannas because they get so big, and so potbound, and need watering so frequently, yet they tolerate the occasional drying out and look great up until frost.  The biggest problem is that they tend to get top-heavy and blow over in high winds!

Of course one of my favorite things about the rooftop deck will always be the view of the back garden:



* Our rooftop deck was part of a major home renovation project several years ago, including a new master bedroom suite that was featured on an episode of HGTV's "Bang For Your Buck" earlier this year (tune in on Nov. 15 when the episode is scheduled to run again).  Our roof deck was also featured on the "Prince of Petworth" blog.