Canna 'Bethany'
Words: Graham Rice
One of the most important factors in giving a plant an Award of Garden Merit is that gardeners should actually be able to buy it. A plant may be the best of its kind but we get frustrated and irritated to be told how wonderful it is but not be able to buy it.
So although it was back in 2008 when Canna ‘Bethany’ was judged to be of AGM quality, it took time for enough stock to be propagated so that it could be made available.
This is a dramatic and colourful plant, in both its flowers and foliage. 'Flowers like ‘Florence Vaughan’ on leaves similar to ‘Striata’.' – that was the verdict of the team that assessed the trial. But what does this mean, exactly?
The broad-petaled flowers are bright yellow and heavily painted in orange, exactly the same as ‘Florence Vaughan’. The foliage is green and brightly streaked in yellow, the same as the popular AGM winning ‘Striata’. So ‘Bethany’ combines bright and colourful foliage with bold and intriguing flowers. The foliage reaches about 1.1m (42in) with the flowers held well above the leaves and shown off beautifully to a height of about 1.6m (62in).
Contrast and combinations
This is an ideal plant for a large container, with orange and yellow Cosmos sulphureus Brightness in red, orange and yellow shades. In sunny borders dark-leaved dahlias are good companions. It thrives in rich soil that does not dry out and the rhizomes increase well. They should be lifted and store in a frost free place in winter.
‘Bethany’ is a sport found on ‘Bengal Tiger’ by Brian West in his Surrey garden and named for his house. It as also been known as ‘Tropicanna Gold’, ‘Mactro’, and 'African Gold'.