The gorgeous canna boasts immense, often-veined, paddle-shaped leaves and sheathing leafstalks in shades of green or bronze—and flashy blooms that stand tall on their stems. With their great reedy canes and palmy foliage, cannas would be magnificent even if they never bloomed. However, they keep pumping out colorful flowers from late spring or early summer to frost. When most flowers can’t take the heat of late July and early August, cannas thrive.
Their flowers come in many bright colors—red, orange, yellow, and pink—and their foliage also offers options—green, bronze, and variegated.
Care:
- Exotic, tropical creatures, cannas need lots of sunshine and fertile, moist soil—but you don’t have to pamper them.
- A position in full sun is best, though cannas tolerate partial shade. Choose a site with at least four hours of direct sunlight. Morning or afternoon sun is ideal.
- Before planting, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
- Full foliage color develops when days are warmer (59ºF or more).
- With masses of broad fleshy leaves, 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.
- Cannas are not picky when it comes to fertilizer. Cannas easily bloom all summer without much effort. But for those of you who want to give your plants an extra boost, apply a 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 in the spring and, if you wish, two more times during the growing season. Fish emulsion fertilizer is a little higher in nitrogen, but is a fantastic organic alternative for feeding your cannas. Higher nitrogen fertilizers tend to increase the average height of cannas. If you have rose food or tomato food on hand, both are great options for cannas, too.
- 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 the flower stem has been deadheaded several times and is no longer producing flowers, cut the flower stem and any attached foliage to the ground, as this can help nearby cannas get more light and flower themselves. (If you prefer, just cut the stem back to the foliage, which will last until the first frost.)
*Images are for reference purposes only. Actual product may vary in shape or appearance based on climate, age, height, etc. Please check product gallery for actual images*
*Pot seen in the photograph will not be provided with the plant. Plant will be delivered in a plastic pot from the nursery*
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.