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Canna South Pacific Scarlet Seeds

Canna South Pacific Scarlet Seeds

At Last, a Huge-flowered Canna from Seed!

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(P) Pkt of 5 seeds
Item # 51081-PK-P1

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It's a bright, beautiful, economical new day for Canna lovers -- South Pacific Scarlet is here to transform those hot, sunny, moist soils with big orangy-red blooms on compact, dark-leaved plants. And it's going to do it from SEED, for just pennies a plant!

The first-ever top quality Canna from seed, South Pacific Scarlet is a marvel of a plant, with giant 4-inch blooms that begin early on compact, well-branched, very vigorous plants. It stands up to frost better than older varieties too, exhibits great uniformity (meaning that all the plants will be nearly the same size and bloom at the same time, so you can have a neat-looking hedge or foundation), and it tolerates heat, rain, and damp soils beautifully. Ah, what's not to love about this gem?!

Effortlessly winning a 2013 All-America Selections Flower Award, South Pacific Scarlet is ready to grace your sunniest garden spots. It's a tropical, so it remains evergreen in frost-free areas and will return each spring in zones 8-11 (it likes our zone 7b garden too, but if you live north of its hardiness zone, just put it in containers and bring it into the garage for winter). The large, handsome, deep green leaves are paddle-shaped and held almost straight up, creating a lovely look in any setting. And the flowers, which begin as soon as the temperatures top about 77 degrees F and continue well into autumn in many climates, attract bees and compliments to the garden.

Expect this Canna to reach 4 to 5 feet high in the garden, somewhat smaller in containers and in short-season climates. A single plant will send up about half a dozen flowering stems, each topped with a crown of 4-inch flowers that combine scarlet and orange tones with flames of gold and cream at the base. Like all Cannas, it needs full sunshine, plenty of heat, and consistently moist, even damp soil. Most of us have a boggy patch in our garden just crying out for such a plant!

South Pacific Scarlet has also proven more tolerant of a touch of frost than other Canna varieties. For many of us, the first frosty night is an aberration, often occurring early in fall, and it's such a shame when it nips back all the tropicals and tenders, only to be replaced by warm weather for weeks! South Pacific Scarlet should do a good job standing up to this first touch of frost, extending Canna season in your fall garden.

This Canna is easy to grow from seed. For the longest season, sow it indoors, lightly covered with germinating mix, at a temperature of 68 to 77 degrees F. When the seedlings are large enough to handle safely, transplant them into separate pots, so they have plenty of root room and don't become a tangled mass. Then, when all danger of frost is past in your spring garden, set them outdoors, spacing them about 18 to 24 inches apart in the garden, or one to a large, deep pot.

If you live in Canna's hardiness range and have hot spring weather, consider giving South Pacific Scarlet a bit of afternoon shade. Otherwise, full sun is fine. This plant stands up to just about anything except drought, so make sure the soil stays moist. The more you water, the fuller and lusher the plant will grow, and the more flowers you'll enjoy.

South Pacific Scarlet is that rare thing, a true breeding breakthrough. Now you can have a big, gorgeous Canna display for mere pennies! We're delighted to make this winner available to Park gardeners this season. Order yours today, before it sells out! Zones 8-11. Pkt is 5 seeds.

Review Summary
(Based on 2 Reviews)

Overall Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

Reviews

Canna seeds
Arden R Knapp from TX wrote on November 28, 2018

Normally, I would plant bulbs, but the success rate was dismal. I tried these seeds when they were first offered by Park, and was amazed. Every seed grew into a beautiful flower, attracting hummingbirds and butterfly. Will never buy a bulb again.

First time
Anonymous from wrote on March 08, 2013

We always order from them for spring planting. This is the first time I have ever ordered on line.

Canna Germination Information

Canna is the botanical name for Canna Lily and Indian Shot
Canna Seed Germination How to Sow Canna:
  • After all danger of frost is past, sow outdoors where plants are to grow
  • For best results, sow indoors, covering the seeds with 4 times their thickness in soil
  • Maintain a temperature within the medium of 75-85° F
  • If the seed coats are nicked or filed and the seeds soaked in warm water for 48 hours
  • Seeds will germinate in 7-14 days
  • Blooms arrive in 3 months from sowing
  • When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed

How to Grow Canna:
Spacing: After danger of frost is past, space 18-24 inches apart

Soil: Keep the soil evenly moist and fertilize the plants regularly

Additional Care:  Taller varieties may require staking. In the north, dig up the rhizomes after frost and store them in peat, vermiculite or sand in dark, dry place, preferably with temperatures of 45-50° F for winter. In zones 7-10, mulch the plants for winter

Appearance and Use:

A long-time garden favorite in the South. Canna is at home in borders, background plantings, at pool side, or in containers. The blooms are also used in cut flower arrangements. Upright, rhizomatous plants, 2-7 feet tall and 12 inches wide, with 3- to 4- inch, gladiolas-like blooms of red, white, cream, yellow, or orange from July to frost. The blooms can be bicolored, bordered, spotted, or show marking on their throats. The soild green to bronze-red foliage has a glossy appearance for a tropical look. The leaves are leathery and sometimes have prominent veining


About Canna:
Pronunciation:  kan’-å
Lifecycle:  Perennial
Origination: Cannaceae; native to South and Central America
Common Names:Canna Lily and Indian Shot

Superior Germination Through Superior Science

Park's Superior Seeds Park Seed's humidity- and temperature-controlled seed storage vault Park Seed offers some of the highest-quality vegetable and flower seeds available in the industry, and there are a number of reasons for this.

First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.

Superior Standards - University Inspected

Testing seeds against minimum germination standards To make sure we are providing the best seed product possible and that our customers will get the highest number of seedlings from every packet, we conduct our own germination testing and have quality-control measures in every stage of our seed-handling operation. We hold ourselves to standards that are at or above federal and state standards, including testing specific crops more frequently than recommended by federal guidelines. And in order to maintain our organic certification, we welcome Clemson University to inspect us annually to make sure our organic seeds, which are stored and processed separately, are being handled properly.

Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians

Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.

When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.

The Park Seed Gold Standard

Park Seed's exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil seed packets And many of our seeds are packed in our exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil packets, which are lined to keep moisture out, so the seeds stay fresher for longer. We carefully pack very tiny or fragile seeds in crush-proof vials to ensure safe delivery to your home. Some of the small seeds are also offered as "pellets" (have a clay coating) to make sowing and growing easier.

When it comes to the kinds of seeds we offer, we are constantly seeking something new and provide many unique and hard-to-find varieties from all around the world. Our on-staff horticulturists are ready and available to share their expertise to help you with the success of these seeds, so you can grow a beautiful and productive garden!
Does Park sell GMO's or treated seeds?
GMO freeIt is important for our customers to know that Park Seed does not sell GMO or treated seed. We do buy a small amount of traditional hybrid seed from Seminis, a division of Monsanto Co., but that is all we purchase from them.

What are the differences between organic, heirloom, and hybrid seed?
Basically, organic seeds are seeds that are produced without the use and exposure to artificial/chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other chemicals. They have to be grown, harvested, stored, and handled under very strict organic rules and procedures. All of our organic seeds are USDA 100% certified organic through Clemson University and the certificate has to be renewed yearly.

Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).

Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.

What are pelleted seeds? Why do you use them? How do I handle/sow them?
Pelleted pentas seedsExtremely small seed such as Petunias and Pentas are shipped as pelleted seed to make them easier to handle and sow. Pelleted seed are coated, usually with clay, to make them larger in size. After sowing, the coating will dissolve when wet and the seed will germinate. Pelleted seeds are shipped in vials placed inside seed packets, which protects them from being crushed. When sowing, be certain to use thoroughly moistened soil, to be sure that the clay coating absorbs enough moisture to dissolve. For sowing pelleted Petunia seeds, place the seeds directly on the soil surface and do not cover with soil, as light aids in the germination.

What is ideal temperature to germinate most seeds?
The ideal temperature to germinate most seeds is approximately 70 degrees F; give or take 1-2 degrees either way. This would be a good germination temperature for most flower and vegetable seeds and would be the most practical and feasible temperatures achieved for gardeners starting seeds in the home. You will notice for some seeds that it is recommended to use alternating day (warmer), night (cooler), temperatures, which is fine if one can provide such conditions. But most people are unable to provide those temperatures in a home setting, so just use the overall 70 degree F recommendation and the seeds should germinate well.

How long should grow lights be kept on per day and how close to the plants should the light be kept?
For germination and seedling/plant growth, you want to simulate the natural day-night cycles, and as a general rule, grow lights should be on 8-12 hours per day and off at night. You can vary this timing, as some seeds such as tomato, pepper, petunia, impatiens, and others, benefit from 14-17 hours of light per day (and the remainder of the 24 hour period in darkness). The most common grow lights used are fluorescent; using cool white, warm white, and wide-spectrum fluorescent tubes. These lights work well for germination and for growing plants up to a transplantable size. Fluorescent lights should be kept close though, 3-6 inches above the soil or the growing plants, adjusting the height as the plants grow.

How long will seeds keep in storage?
Park Seed stores seed in a special temperature- and humidity-controlled storage facility, which keeps seeds in excellent condition. Our seeds should be good for at least 1-2 years on average. Seed viability and storage time will vary depending on the seed item; some will keep a shorter time and some will keep longer. Seeds should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place. A basement will do (if not too humid), or a cool, dark room or closet. We recommend the best way to extend seed storage life is to store them in something air tight, such as a plastic zipper storage bag or canning jar, and place it in the refrigerator. This will extend the life of seeds for many years.

What is the best way to store seeds over a longer time period?
We recommend the best way to extend seed storage life is to store seeds in something air tight, such as a plastic zipper storage bag or canning jar, and place it in the refrigerator. This will extend the life of seeds for many years.

What depth should I sow various seeds?
When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed. When sowing seed indoors, the planting depth can be less, depending on the seed being sown, so it is always best to check specific directions. Here are some general guidelines concerning planting depth in relation to seed size: Tiny, dust-like seeds need to be sown on the surface of the growing medium or soil, uncovered, as they need light to germinate. The planting depth for small seed can be anywhere from barely covering, to 1/8-inch deep, to possibly 1/4-inch deep, depending on the recommendation. Medium seed should be planted at 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep, depending on the recommendation. Larger seeds can be planted 1-inch or deeper, depending on the recommendation.

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