Canna Lily

Canna Lily

Cannas are lush tropical plants with huge leaves and vibrant blossoms on tall stalks.

Many varieties have multicolored and patterned leaves, making them a season-long focal point.

Cannas are among the most colorful summer bulbs—as flamboyant as their tropical American ancestry—with ruffled spikes tapering to refined buds.
These perennials come in a vast variety of color and boast immense, often-veined, paddle-shaped leaves and sheathing leafstalks in shades of green or bronze.
With their great reedy canes and palmy foliage, cannas would be magnificent even if they never bloomed. However, they keep blossoming from late spring or early summer to frost.
Turn-of-the-century gardeners so loved cannas that they grew them from seed but this isn’t easy; better to leave propagation to experts and buy the tubers.

Site Selection

Select a site with full sun and moist soil. Tall varieties should be sheltered from strong winds.

Special Features

Unusual foliage

Planting Instructions

Plant canna rhizomes in spring after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. Dig a hole 4 to 6 inches deep. Set the rhizome horizontally in the hole, cover it with soil, and press firmly. Space rhizomes 1 to 4 feet apart, depending on the variety. Water thoroughly. In regions with short summers, start rhizomes indoors by potting up and placing them in a warm, sunny location.

Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around cannas to retain moisture and control weeds. Cannas prefer consistently moist soil, so water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week, and water container-grown plants frequently to keep soil moist. Stake tall varieties to keep them upright. Remove flowers as they fade. In autumn, after frost kills the foliage, cut plants back to 6 inches tall. Carefully lift each clump of rhizomes and put them in a plastic-lined box filled with perlite or peat moss, spacing them so that none are touching. Store boxes off the floor in a dry area at 45 to 55 degrees F. Replant in the spring.

 Canna Lily 'Lucifer'

Care

• Cannas do best with a good supply of water, so water the plants during the summer if the rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Water freely in a dry spell.
• Keep a thin layer of mulch around cannas to help retain moisture as well.
• Stake tall varieties if needed.
• As flowers fade, deadhead to promote continued flowering.
• After autumn frost blackens the foliage, remove the stems and leaves, and lift the rhizomes for winter storage. Store in barely-moist peat or leaf mold in frost-free conditions. Space rhizomes so that they are not touching.
• In the lower South, let cannas grow without moving them, until the clumps grow very matted. Every 3 to 4 years in the winter, dig up the clumps, separate the roots, and plant them in well-enriched soil.

• Cannas can be started in the house in small pots if your gardening season is short.
• Where not hardy, plant outdoors in early summer—around the same time you’d put in tomato plants.
• To plant, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
• Dig
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