If you have a soggy area, don't drain it, landscape it! These perennial plants will make you fall in love with mud.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
One of the real treasures in the genus bletilla is the Chinese Bletilla ochracea. Although not as winter hardy as its cousin Bletilla striata, it more than makes up for this with its stunning jewel-like flowers. The 20" wispy flower stalks emerge from below-ground pseudobulbs and top the iris-like pleated leaves in June. Each flower stalk is topped with 3-5 small, creamy yellow flowers, each highlighted with a purple and yellow speckled lip. Bletilla ochracea is a slow grower, more finicky than Bletilla striata...moist rich soil and morning sun or high filtered light shade are best. This is a particularly vigorous, precocious flowering seed strain introduced by Linda Guy of Carolina Nursery. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This hardy and very easy-to-grow terrestrial orchid has upright, heavily textured, iris-like 10" long x 1" wide green leaves and forms a slowly spreading clump. In early spring, stalks to 15" tall of very small cattleya-like flowers are held atop the foliage. The rhizomes spread slowly and eventually form a nice mass. Bletilla striata grows best in moist to damp soils. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Bletilla striata 'Albostriata' is one of the rarer white-edged forms of the commonly grown ground orchid. Two opposite iris-like pleated leaves emerge from each pseudobulb in early spring. As the leaves emerge, the narrow flower spike arises through the center and then opens a few inches above the foliage. The flowers are rich purple in early spring, April for us. Moist soils are best. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Bletilla striata 'Kuchibeni' is a hard to find but easy-to-grow cultivar from Japan, distinguished by its two-tone flowers. The upper part of the flower is white, while the lip is a contrasting purple. The foliage and growth habit are the same as in the species. I have seen this occasionally incorrectly offered as Bletilla striata 'Alba', which should be solid white. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This unique selection of Bletilla striata has pale lavender flowers with a darker lip which appears bluish to the eye. Knowing most catalog writers are color-blind and that Photoshop® has allowed some catalog writers to now match the plants to their descriptions, I was skeptical about the true flower color. Finally, my plants bloomed and indeed, the color is a real bluish-lavender. As with all bletillas, moist rich woodland soil is best, although this is one tough plant that will survive almost anything. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Canna 'Feuerzauber') We have grown a lot of purple-foliaged cannas but never anything like this. The deep burgundy-black foliage has a satin-like sheen and the intense color holds superbly during the summer heat. The foliage rises to 4-5', topped with a magnificent display of large, shocking red flowers...a true stunner and hummingbird magnet. Thanks to canna guru Johnnie Johnson for sharing this coveted gem he obtained from New Zealand. Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.892 L)
(syn: Canna generalis 'Aureostriata' or Canna 'Pretoria') Imported from India in 1963 by the Glasshouse Works guys, this is considered to be the most beautiful of cannas. The dramatic stalks of green- and yellow-striped leaves with a brilliant maroon edge grow to 6' and are topped in summer with bright orange flowers...scrumptious! Canna 'Bengal Tiger' will also grow in water as an aquatic. Canna blooms attract hummingbirds. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
This Curt Wallace hybrid is still regarded as the closest to white (as judged by a team of color-blind nurserymen) that is available in the canna family. This 3' tall clumper is topped all summer with very large, creamy white flowers, flushed with pale yellow toward the center...a hummingbird treat. Canna 'Ermine' will allow designers to create some exciting and distinctive new color combinations in the summer garden. We are excited to make available this very rare and sought-after hybrid. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
Originally brought into the US by California sea captain Commander Bauman, this selection of our native Canna glauca was passed around California until spotted by plantsman Herb Kelly, who named and introduced it to commerce. The narrow, pointed, grey-green leaves adorn the upright stalk to 6'. Atop the clump through summer and into fall are charming, narrow, salmon-pink flowers (darker in the center)...a hummingbird treat. A vigorous grower, Canna glauca 'Panache' is a great native plant from the southeast US that can grow in standing water or in regular garden soil and even spreads fast enough for you to share plenty. The demand always seems to exceed our supply...get 'em while they last. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
(poss. syn: Canna indica 'Purpurea') The 8' tall thick stalks of Canna 'Red Stripe' are home to large (nearly 2' long) leaves of purple with a dramatically contrasting green pattern between the veins. Topping, but not distracting from, the great bold foliage are stalks of small, brilliant red flowers that attract hummingbirds...a can't-miss addition to the border! Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
Designers love it, garden visitors love it, hummingbirds love it, we love it...so why are we sharing? This amazing canna, a 1978 seedling selection from California's Herb Kelly, is one of the most un-canna looking cannas we have grown. The very narrow, pointed, purple-grey foliage makes one of the most stunning accent plants in the garden. In addition, the narrow leaves and strong vertical habit make the architectural presentation of this canna most special. The 7' tall clumps are topped in very late summer with small orange-red flowers, but this baby is truly chosen for its wonderful form...sort of like the babes of Baywatch. Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.892 L)
(aka: Canna 'Nirvana' or Canna 'Striped Beauty') This old hybrid is still one of the most popular of the variegated cannas today. Canna 'Minerva' makes a 5' tall stalk with brilliant white-and-green striped leaves. This vigorously multiplying canna is topped off with unique red flower buds that open to large, butter-yellow flowers...produced all summer! When Canna 'Minerva' is fed well and kept moist, it is indeed a fantastic garden plant...a hummingbird fiesta. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
If you are into the tropical look, don't miss growing the gigantic banana canna. Canna 'Musafolia' has a clouded origin (possibly related to Canna 'Edulis'), but what we do know is that it is one heck of a structural element in the garden. The 12-14' tall stalks are home to extremely large, banana-like leaves...each green with a purple-red border. While Canna 'Musafolia' rarely flowers, the flowers produced are small, red, and really pale in size compared to the foliage...still attracting hummingbirds. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
"Amazing...I've never seen anything like it!" These are just two of the comments from visitors about this Kent Kelly hybrid. Canna 'Orange Punch' is a compact, fast-multiplying canna, topped from spring until frost with intense bright orange flowers with a yellow throat...a hummingbird delight. From its Canna iridiflora background, the flowers are held in long pendent racemes instead of the typical upright spikes. If you like bright gaudy colors, this unique new canna will quickly become one of your favorites! Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.892 L)
(syn: Canna 'Semaphore') If you haven't noticed, we are lovers of the truly tacky and gaudy, and Canna 'Pacific Beauty' takes tackiness to a whole new level. You will love the luscious purple-grey foliage, but what will really shock you are the intense orange flowers that top the 6' tall clumps...a hummingbird hot spot. These are not your typical orange flowers but are more of a fluorescent pumpkin-orange...it is truly a WOW canna! Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
Oh, my...just when you think you've seen it all, here is the latest in "Shock Gardening." This incredible recent introduction from Jan Potgeither of South Africa is a sport of the ever-popular Canna 'Wyoming'. Even without flowers, you would surely grow Canna 'Phasion' for the foliage...purple with dramatic stripes of yellow and red, evenly spaced throughout the leaf. Atop the 7' tall stems are wonderfully gaudy, shocking orange flowers throughout the summer...indeed, this is the Howard Stern of the plant world...guaranteed to get your friends talking and the hummingbirds darting! Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
The rave of the plant world is our 1996 introduction we named from Sunburst Flower Bulbs in South Africa. This dazzling canna is the hottest thing since summertime in Miami. Canna 'Pink Sunburst' is similar to Canna 'Bengal Tiger' (yellow- and green-striped leaves), except the variegated leaves have a reddish-pink cast. The dwarf, rapidly-multiplying mound of foliage is topped all summer by large salmon-pink flowers...a hummingbird party plant. We have finally been able to get the virus cleaned from our stock, which has restored the original vigor. Canna blooms attract hummingbirds. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
This amazing Canna glauca hybrid (possibly with Canna iridiflora) was brought into the US by Texan Margie Brown, who purchased it sans name from a roadside nursery south of Bangkok. The 6' tall stalks of glaucous leaves are topped, starting in summer, with peachy-orange buds that open to lovely, somewhat pendent fleshy-pink flowers (RHS 48D)...the best pink-flowered canna we've ever grown and extremely leaf-roller resistant...attractive to hummingbirds. Like Canna 'Panache', it multiplies quite rapidly when grown in moist, rich soil. Thanks to both Mary Elliott and Steve Lowe for independently sending it our way. Pot Size: 3 qt. (2.83 L)
For something truly unique, we are pleased to introduce Canna 'Thai Rainbow', which offers a unique leaf variegation pattern (reportedly radiation induced). Canna 'Thai Rainbow' forms a 6' tall, rapidly multiplying clump of narrow leaves that are banded green and cream with a purple flush that is particularly evident on the leaf edges. The clumps are topped with small but bright red-orange flowers that attract hummingbirds throughout the summer...looks and grows like a variegated form of Canna 'Intrigue'. Pot Size: 2 qt. (1.892 L)
Several years ago, we received a shipment of Colocasia from India of which most were inferior to plants we already grew. After several years of trials, one plant stood out that we are now able to share. Colocasia 'Blackwater' is similar to Colocasia 'Fontanesii' with glossy, jet black stems rising to 6' tall. The stems are topped with glossy, dark olive-green leaves that are much darker and narrower, with a longer leaf tip than Colocasia 'Fontanesii'. It spreads rapidly via black snake-like rhizomes that lay on top of the ground. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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