This summer no less than 80,000 Canna CANNOVA have been lighting up the city of Vienna. The city’s parks department chose these exotic plants from breeder Takii as part of this year’s summer planting scheme. Volmary was responsible for supplying this enormous number of young plants to the Vienna city nursery. Takii and Volmary visited Vienna to take a look at the world of this unusual order.
Roundabouts, flower beds, borders and parks – at the moment, you can’t miss Canna CANNOVA® ‘Orange Shades’ in this metropolis on the Danube. The popular Canna from Takii is part of a varied and colourful summer planting scheme that has been created with great care by the team responsible for the city’s green spaces. Volmary received the order to supply 80,000 young plants to the city nursery. “This is something special! I’m really proud that we carried out this project,” says Volmary sales representative Andreas Glathe.
CANNOVA ticks all the boxes
Several representatives of Takii Europe, Volmary and the municipality of Vienna met last week at “Hirschstetten”, one of the city’s many gardens. All the potential candidates for a season’s planting scheme are trialled in this public garden, which covers an area of 60,000 m². Robert Honeder, a passionate municipal gardener, explains why Canna CANNOVA ticked all the boxes and was therefore the preferred option: “We plant the city with the summer planting scheme in May. A Canna which already has buds then and offers early and repeat flowering has a higher decorative value for a longer period. And we are always on the lookout for low-maintenance varieties. CANNOVA is our benchmark.” His colleague Stefan Wessely adds: “The scheme must embody a ‘meadow-like character’; airy, playful, lively and with different heights.” The dynamic CANNOVA is a perfect match.
Public green spaces as awareness-raising platforms
More and more municipalities are opting to make their public spaces greener in order to provide a healthy, sustainable and climate-resilient environment for their residents. A limited, traditional selection of ‘municipal greenery’ is being replaced by a colourful mix of new varieties based on a strategic plan, where factors such as city image, functionality and education play an important role. Vienna has for many years been a front-runner in the field of proactive ‘green policy’. The Austrian capital also places great emphasis on raising awareness of the importance of a natural environment, especially among the younger generation.
Following an interesting meeting, Takii Europe has recognised opportunities to develop an educational concept in collaboration with municipalities. “Public green spaces are not just attractive decorations. They can also become an important platform with an educational goal. By bringing together knowledge and resources, we might be able to create innovative green spaces which inspire residents,” says Friederike van der Boon, marketing and communication manager at the Japanese breeding company.
CANNOVA will return to Vienna in 2018
CANNOVA® ‘Orange Shades’ can still be admired until the middle of October this year. Next year, Canna CANNOVA® ‘Bronze Scarlet’, the red version with bronze leaves, will adorn this classical capital city. For more information about this unique Canna series, visit our Cannova website.
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