Poor old C. glauca, the ancestor of so many of today's cannas and once widely found in private gardens, and when the world moved slower and we didn't have advanced sewerage systems, being used for water absorption along areas of "overflow."
C. glauca helped give all cannas a bad name with gardeners for a very long time. Having a very "robust" tillering and growth habit, once it is in the garden it is extremely hard to remove totally. It can be controlled by planting it in rocky soil with restricted water supply, or contained in large tubs. Unless you have acres to spare or own a lake, it is better contained in some way.
The seeds are very fertile, and it is a great canna to start experimenting with for your own crosses. Plant C. glauca in pots and place them around your favourite cannas. Let the pollinators do the rest. You can end up with some interesting results to get you started fast.
Here's a link to info on C. glauca :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
Glauca is still used today in "natural" filtration systems where people have set up "alternate" lifestyles or in large bog gardens, where channels are created and water runs through it and out the other side much cleaner than when it went in! There is actually a garden right in the middle of Sydney where the owners of the property are using this system with their water run-off, with the Council's blessings!
