Compact Cannas

Enjoy the blooms on a smaller scale

Story and photos by L.A. Jackson

In flower and foliage, canna lilies (Canna sp.) can make big statements in the landscape, but maybe too big at times. Some cannas grow upwards of 6 feet or more, and in a grouped setting, they are awesome, bordering on formidable. Heck, I’ve even seen expansive stands of such cannas large enough to hide my truck behind.

For backyard growers not thrilled about gardening in the shadows of such biggies, there’s another way to go. Along with big, bodacious creations, dwarf cannas have also been a goal for many plant breeders.

Cannas that restrain themselves to 3 feet in height or less aren’t particularly new to the gardening world, but, to me, it sure seems like more and more of these compact cuties are showing up in garden shops these days. They are becoming ordinary enough that even big box retail stores with nursery centers have gotten in on the fun.

When the cultivar “South Pacific Scarlet” (26 to 32 inches tall) was honored as an All-America Selections

(AAS) winner in 2013, it helped shine a light on the possibilities of petite cannas. This was reinforced when little sister “South Pacific Orange” also became an AAS winner in 2018.

Awards aside, the advantages of compact cannas are obvious, particularly if you have limited garden space. Since they will play nicer among other small ornamentals, it is easier to fit them into the flower garden. Dwarf cannas are also prime candidates for potted plantings to help doll up a deck, patio or gazebo.

Growing cannas in containers makes them seasonally mobile, meaning they can be moved to a sheltered place during the winter. This is important in upper elevations of Western North Carolina, where the cold months have a frostier bite. In other parts of our state, compact cannas are usually hardy enough to weather typical winters in the garden, but do add a few inches of protective mulch in autumn, just in case.

Like their big brothers, gardengrown dwarf cannas put on their best bloom displays under full sun tucked in beds heavily amended with organic matter. Also, don’t let these pretties dry out — they need at least an inch of water weekly in the summer. And when it comes to nutrients, compact cannas are little piggies, requiring gobs of compost or light applications of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 fertilizer every six weeks through the growing season for peak performance.

L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener Magazine. Contact L.A. at lajackson1@gmail.com

L.A.’s website of the month: Sandy Mush Herb Nursery (sandymushherbs.com) in Leicester, NC, specializes in herbs (of course), native plants and perennials, but also has an exceptionally large selection of scented geraniums. Ordering is by mail or telephone only.

Garden To-Do’s for May

Enjoy home-grown dill, fennel and parsley? You should still be able to find established plants now, so prepare a garden bed and have at it. Then, fill up another bed further away with the same herbal helpers. The reason for this repetition is their foliage often attracts big, fat green caterpillars with black stripes and yellow dots. These are immature black swallowtail butterflies, so instead of using insecticides on such beauties-to-be, if you find any on “your” plants, simply move them to the second bed containing “their” plants so they can bulk up and eventually flit away as pretty butterflies.

□ Haven’t plunked down any peanuts, pumpkins, okra or sweet potatoes in the veggie garden yet? It shows what a sharp backyard grower you are. These edible delectables are heat seekers, and they really shouldn’t be planted until May, when the soil has turned into a warm, growth-encouraging planting patch.

□ Your fine-feathered garden friends will be working overtime with spring activities this month, so don’t forget to clean the birdbath and refill it with fresh water at least once a week.

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Grilled Korean Ribeye Steak

Sandwiches

With spicy gochu mayo

Hello May! Time to fire up those backyard grills and soak up longer evenings outside. With a tasty charred steak sandwich in hand, slathered in spicy mayo, what could be better? Make extras to freeze —we guarantee you’ll want these again soon!

4 boneless ribeye steaks, ¼-inch

4 baguette rolls, split and buttered

Marinade

½ cup tamari or soy sauce

¼ cup mirin (rice wine)

3 tablespoons sesame oil

¼ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 piece of ginger (1-inch) peeled and zested

1 heaping tablespoon garlic paste

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

1 heaping tablespoon gochujang sauce

Toppings

1 big bunch scallions, trimmed

Shredded lettuce

Thinly sliced seedless cucumber (slice with vegetable peeler)

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over steaks in a zippered bag. Marinate, turning occasionally for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Reserve marinade.

Combine the mayonnaise and gochujang for the spicy mayo sauce and set aside.

Prepare hot grill. Place steaks over high heat and sear until lightly charred on each side to desired doneness, or cook in an oven or stovetop in a hot cast iron skillet.

For the toppings, dip scallions in marinade and cook alongside steaks until wilted and lightly charred. Cut up and toss with lettuce. Slice cucumber.

Lightly toast rolls. Place steaks on rolls and top with gochu mayo, lettuce/scallions and cucumber.

Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches

Marinated Asian Carrot Salad

Bright and crisp, this sweet and tangy salad makes a perky side dish not only for our Grilled Korean Ribeye Sandwiches, but for just about anything. You can even use on pork, chicken or fish sandwiches. Best served cold.

Dressing

¹/₃ cup grapeseed oil

¹/₃ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup honey

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

(optional)

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of half a lime

1 heaping tablespoon garlic paste

Recipes by Wendy Perry unless otherwise noted. Learn more about Wendy at WendysHomeEconomics.com

Digital Extra

Salad

1 bag (10-ounce) shredded carrots

1 large daikon radish, peeled and shredded

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed and chopped

Toasted sesame seeds or “everything” seasoning

Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Combine carrots, radish and onion in a large mixing bowl. Toss with dressing. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. At serving time, stir in cilantro and sesame seeds or seasoning.

Yield: 6 servings

Visit carolinacountry.com/recipes to search more than 1,000 recipes by name or ingredient.

From Your Kitchen

Maple-Walnut Quinoa

Breakfast Bowl

Move oatmeal to the back burner — try quinoa, a stellar source of protein and fiber. Coupled with nuts and berries, this light, healthy bowl smacks of cinnamon and syrup. Yum!

1 cup prepared quinoa

¼ cup plain almond milk or water

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

½ tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup blackberries (or other fruit) courtesy of Dori

Add your quinoa to a small saucepan with almond milk or water. Then mix in remainder of ingredients and heat until warm.

Consider batch cooking the quinoa ahead of time for a week’s worth of breakfasts (¼ cup dry quinoa per morning).

Yield: 1 serving