Canna Tarouking - Indian shot

Canna 'Tarouking' is a variety that doesn't go unnoticed, despite its rather modest stature. This remarkably colourful plant displays spectacular large leaves that are variegated with green, red, orange, and pink stripes that perfectly highlight its spikes of reddish-orange flowers. This flowering occurs throughout summer. This fast-growing canna is as easy to cultivate as a dahlia, but possesses a very distinct exotic charm. Plant it in a bed with white or blue flowers, or in a large pot on a patio for a dazzling display.

Canna 'Tarouking' is an herbaceous rhizomatous plant from the Cannaceae family. It is a hybrid horticultural variety. Its ancestors originate from tropical areas of Asia and America. This canna quickly forms a clump averaging 90cm (35in) in height, occupying 70cm (28in) of ground space. It has large, entire, wide, oblong leaves that sheathe at the base. The lamina shows a variable colour, striped with rich and varied tones. It is entirely covered with prominent veins. Flowering occurs from July-August to September-October, in the form of flower spikes with colours ranging from orange to red. Each flower, measuring 6 to 8cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, is asymmetrical and composed of 3 petals fused at the base, 3 sepals, and visible stamens. The plant easily multiplies vegetatively by producing numerous shoots.

Canna 'Tarouking' can be used to create stunning exotic-looking container displays, alongside agapanthus, amaranths, and cosmos. It also forms a beautiful combination with a dwarf banana tree or bamboo. Hybrid cannas are majestic and colourful plants, ideal for spicing up the back of flower beds for the taller varieties, or for brightening up patios and balconies for the smaller varieties. Their cultivation is within everyone's reach. Consider planting them in a densely packed flower bed with about ten bulbs of the same variety, or by mixing green and purple foliage. Use them to decorate a corner of a pond with colocasias and ferns, and ground cover species such as helxines or golden creeping lysimachias.