Bulbs
Toucan ® Dark Orange canna . Photo by : Proven Winners .
Cannas may be the bold of the summer bulbs , rival the striking floral beauty and telling height of the populargarden corpus sternum . Even from a distance , cannas are show - stoppers and the perfect plants forturning your garden into a tropical Eden .
Although not a true lily ( even though commonly call canna lily ) , the canna plant is every bit as showy . Cannas produce massive blooms in colour ranging from wan pastel to vibrant oranges and reds . The huge , jungle - alike leaves are as heart - get and total in a broad array of solid and varicoloured colouring .
Althoughcannasare herbaceous perennials in tropic climates , they can be grown as annual almost anywhere as long as you give them ample sunlight and moisture . Cannas also fall in a wide range of mountains of size , from container - friendly midget varieties to 6 - foot - tall goliath .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care and Maintenance|Pictures|Overwintering|Design idea
On this page :
THE BASICS
Botanical name:
Cannaspp . and loan-blend
Common names:
Canna , canna lily , Indian shot , arrowroot
Native area:
tropic and subtropical region of Central and South America
Plant type:
Although you will often see canna label as “ summertime bulbs , ” they in reality grow from rootstock .
Zones:
Perennial in zone 8 - 10 ; grow as yearbook in Zones 2 - 7
Height:
From 18 in to over 6 feet tall , look on the variety
Exposure:
fond shade to full sun
Bloom Time:
From early to midsummer until Robert Frost
Flowers:
blooming in tad of yellow , red , pink , ruby-red , orangish , or creamy livid take place in clump at the top of marvellous stems . Some cultivar have striking bi- or multi - dyed blossom . The flower are short - live , lasting only a twenty-four hours or two , but new ace soon follow to supply continual flower all season .
Foliage:
heavy and boat paddle - form , with prominent midvein and veins ( similar in visual aspect to banana tree works leaves ) . Can be various shades of green , dark purpleness , bronze or red , often with narrow stripes of colour following the leaf veins .
Special attributes:
PLANTING CANNAS
When to plant:
In former spring or early summer , after all danger of frost is past and the soil has warmed up to at least 60 degrees F. A good general road map is to implant cannas around the same time it ’s safe in your area to put tomato plants in the garden .
Where to plant:
A situation in full Sunday ( 6 to 8 hours day by day ) is best for good leaf coloring and flower ontogeny . However , cannas grown in the Deep South or the desert Southwest will benefit from some good afternoon specter to keep the foliage from bleaching . If potential , implant your cannas in a spot sheltered from the wind to avoid damage to the large leave .
How to plant:
Plant canna rhizomes in kettle of fish 3 to 4 in deep with the eyes ( or buds ) face upward . Space plant at least 2 feet aside to give them elbow room to spread . prefer rhizomes that are solid and plummet with at least three eyes . ( More eyes often result in bigger , more robust plants . ) Cover the rhizomes with 1 to 2 inch of soil and piss thoroughly .
If you do n’t want to wait for your cannas to grow from rhizomes , you could often find canna industrial plant sold at baby’s room , garden centers , andonlinein the spring . Plant at a depth no deeper than the top of the root ball , and follow the same spacing guidelines .
Planting cannas in containers:
If planting cannas in pots , choose a container great enough to take into account the roots to spread and to prevent the plant life from topple as it grow to full height . normally you ’ll want a container at least 18 inches in diameter , unless you ’re imbed a midget canna variety . Self - lacrimation container , such asAquaPots ® , are a good choice for canna because of their demanding water requirement .
Soil:
canna flourish in rich soil high in constitutive thing , but will do fine in most garden ground as long as they receive consistent moisture .
HOW TO CARE FOR CANNAS
See this container recipewith Toucan ® Yellow thriller . Photo by : Proven Winners .
Watering:
Give these pee - bonk plant at least 1 to 2 in of piddle per week during the spring up time of year to keep the grunge moist , particularly during ironic tour . To help keep up soil moisture , apply a 2- to 4 - inch layer of mulch around your plants .
Container - grow cannas will need more frequent tearing to prevent the soil from dry out , as often as once or twice a day . Do n’t worry too much about overwatering . In their native habitat , canna plants are often find growing close to or even partially deluge in water system .
Fertilizing:
Cannas need a pile of nourishment to stimulate flower product and keep the foliation lush and attractive . In garden beds , work plenty of compost or other organic affair into the grime at planting time in the bound , along with acontrolled - acquittance fertilizer . Container - originate plant life will also profit from the program program of control - release plant food , but may also require supplementary feedings with awater - soluble flora foodstarting in midsummer .
Deadheading:
It ’s not necessary to deadhead canna if you are develop a non - seeding variety , but if your plant begin to modernize seedpod , pinching off the spent bloom will result in more fertile efflorescence output . Be careful to take only the fading flowers and not the buds still remaining on the flower spike . novel bloom will continue to develop from that main stalk all summertime .
Diseases and Pests:
possible pesterer threats to cannas includeslugs and garden snail , andJapanese beetles . However , the worst and most destructive pest is the canna leafroller , a cat that feed and pupates inside a rolled - up canna leaf before it spread , wipe out away the foliage from the inside out . ascendance measure let in rationalize off and disposing of the touch on leaf or unrolling the leaves and removing the caterpillars by hand .
CANNA VARIETIES
exposure by : Proven Winners .
Toucan ® Yellow — Buy now from Proven success
Height / Spread:30 to 48 column inch improbable , 14 to 20 inches wide
Bloom Time : Late natural spring until fall
Tall and elegant , featuring radiant clusters of icteric efflorescence rising above a lush background of down - green foliage . peak originally than most varieties , beginning in late leap and continuing until frost . Also try other colors in theToucan ® seriesincluding coral and orange red .
Toucan ® vermilion — Buy now from Proven Winners
Height / Spread:30 to 48 inch grandiloquent , 18 to 24 column inch broad
Scarlet - red flowers bloom atop plushy light-green foliage all summertime long . Very disease immune , tolerates passion and humidity , and go on to bloom without deadheading . Ideal for adding a vivacious tropical elan to your garden .
Photo by : Proven Winners
Cleopatra
Height / Spread:3 to 4 feet marvelous , 2 to 3 feet blanket
Bloom Time : Late summer until frost
alien and mysterious , like the Queen of the Nile herself , with blossom on the same plant that may be pure red , yellow with red speckling , or a combination of both . The foliage color is equally unpredictable and can place from all light-green to chocolate brownness . Each plant set up on a unequaled display of ever - changing color combinations .
Photo by : Jace Cameron / Shutterstock
Bengal Tiger ( also known asCanna’Pretoria '
Height / Spread:4 to 6 feet tall , 2 to 3 feet wide
Bloom Time : June through September
Here ’s a canna that much roars for attention , boasting glorious unripened and yellow-bellied striped leaves topped by vivacious orangish flowers with scarlet throat . Can be embed in moist soil or in pee up to a profundity of 6 inches .
Photo by : Anthony Tesselar / Flickr .
Tropicanna ® Black
Height / Spread:5 to 6 feet tall , 18 to 24 inches all-embracing
Bloom Time : Midsummer to fall
Huge , showy , dark bronze leaf are set off by brilliant tangerine - red flower , creating an heart - start colouring dividing line that wo n’t fail to be point out , even when planted at the back of the border . Also try the equally stunning Tropicanna ® Gold Canna , which has green and yellow stripy leave and lenient orange flowers edged in yellow .
Photo by : Tracy Immordino / Shutterstock
Wyoming
Height / Spread:3 to 4 metrical foot marvellous , 12 to 18 inches broad
Striking green , imperial , and bronze variegated foliage is topped by fiery orange blooms up to 4 inches across . The compact size of it do it a good choice for container .
Photo by : Rock Giguere / Millette Photomedia
Pink Sunburst
Height / Spread:32 to 36 inch improbable , 20 to 24 inches wide
Bloom Time : Midsummer until frost
Has striped leaf interchangeable to that of ‘ Bengal Tiger ’ but with the addition of pinkish veining to echo the people of color of the diffused Salmon River - pinkish blooms . maturate to only 3 foot tall .
Photo courtesy All America Selections
tropic ™ Rose
Height / Spread:18 to 30 inch improbable , 16 to 18 inches wide-eyed
Bloom Time : Early summer until early decline
This All - America Selections winner is remarkably fertile , producing velvety rose - color blooms in profuseness all summertime long . As the first flower spike matures , another spike soon follow laden with overbold raw blooms . midget course is idealistic for molding and container plantings .
Alaska
Height / Spread:3 to 4 feet tall , up to 2 foot wide
canna with livid bloom are a rarity , and this cultivar is one of the undecomposed , featuring luminous creamy lily-white flowers with delicately square petal . A great addition to amoon gardenalong with other white - blossom plant life .
sport in : Garden Design ’s Top 10 Garden Trends for 2022(“Including industrial plant that enthrall You to the Tropics " )
OVERWINTERING CANNAS
Unlike spring bulbs , cannas are raw to freezing temperature and the rootstock must be dug up in fall and lay in until planting time the following spring . In mild mood where the soil does n’t freeze , the rhizomes can be left in the ground over winter .
If you do n’t want to part with your beautiful cannas when the get season ends , here ’s how you’re able to carry on them for planting again the next spring :
For more on planting and storing electric light , seeBulbs 101 .
CANNAS IN YOUR GARDEN
Cannas are not imply to be subtle . Their bold flowered colour and showy leafage create a large visual shock wherever you plant them . Here are ideas for take advantage of their “ front at me ” lineament :
