Three or four years ago I planted 3 Cannas Rhizomes in one part of my garden and 3 in another part.
On July 25, 2005, I was sitting on my patio having breakfast and looked out over the cottage garden to see masses of Cannas. I thought, "What a fantastic plant for hiding just about anything. Tall dense clumps of large heavy foliage make perfect screens or wonderful backdrops and grows practically anywhere."
However, they were now where I really did not want them. They were blocking lots of vision. I will have to live with them until next spring since that is the time to deal with them.
We are in zone 6 and they just come back every year. In cooler areas plants die back in winter but readily re-grow once warm weather returns. They are a clump forming bush that are excellent used mass planted for a showy flower display or used as individual specimens interplanted with other trees and shrubs in your garden.
Cannas, or cannas lilies, look like banana trees without the trunk! That's no accident - they're kin to bananas and gingers, and their wide, furled leaves come out of thick, multiple-eyed rhizomes, just like their larger, edible cousins. Flowers are the main reason cannas are so highly prized, though.
The tropical Indian shot (Canna indica) was hybridized and backcrossed with other Canna species, including the North American native, golden canna (C.flaccida). These hybrids have been known as Canna X generalis, or Canna X orchiodes, depending on flower characteristics, but they've been crossed too, and the distinctions are now largely lost or forgotten.
Nowadays most experts include all the cannas hybrids under Canna X generalis. And indeed there are hundreds of named cultivars, ranging from less than 30 in (76.2 cm) to more than 8 ft (2.4 m) in height, in colors from creams to yellows, to oranges and reds, and with a colorful diversity of leaf patterns as well. Some of the most striking cultivars have red or variegated foliage. Cannas flowers are asymmetrical, with three petals, three sepals and three highly modified showy petal-like stamens. They come in a rainbow of shades from yellows, oranges, reds and pinks. The flowers are followed by a capsule with round, shot like seeds.
Canna flaccida is native to the southeastern U.S. and Central America and the Antilles. Canna indica is native to tropical Central and South America. The many hybrid selections are of garden origin, some dating back to the 18th century. Cannas species and various hybrids have naturalized in wetlands throughout the subtropical and tropical world.
Cannas are an upright clump forming plant that will add spectacular color to your garden. They are ideal used in tropical style gardens, mass planted for dramatic flower color and are great used interplanted with other trees and shrubs. Cannas are a very hardy plant and can withstand wetter areas and periods of dryness. Cannas prefer sun, but will grow in partial shade.
Cannas like moist soil and will thrive even in boggy conditions. They can be grown in ordinary garden soils, but will need regular watering.
USDA Zones 8-12. Cannas can be grown in colder regions, but where the ground freezes, either lift the rhizomes during winter, or protect them with a thick layer of mulch. In cold climates, the rhizomes may be susceptible to rot.
Cannas are easy to propagate by dividing off pieces of the rhizomes.
There are just 9 species of Cannas, all native to the New World tropics and subtropics. Canna indica, also known as Canna edulis, makes an edible root and is the source of arrowroot starch. Its seeds have been used as shot (thus the common name, "Indian shot"). Cannas is from the Greek for a type of reed.
Cannas are beautiful tropical plants that are hardy to Zone 9. In colder parts of the country, they need to be dug up just after the first frost in the fall and stored indoors in a cool, dark location. Leaving soil on the rhizomes helps keep them from shriveling up. Also, cutting the rhizome before storage could let organisms in that cause rot, so it's better left whole. In the spring, though, you may want to divide them.
I never realized that Cannas lilies are remarkably easy to grow. These are great flowers for a wet area. They will even grow in moderately polluted wetlands. Cannas look best in masses. Leaf rolling caterpillars can be devastating to the foliage, but are easily controlled. Plant cannas with bananas, gingers and palms for an enormous tropical foliage statement!
To divide a cannas rhizome, brush off the dried soil so that you can see eyes, or buds. Cut off any old foliage. Use a sharp knife, cut the rhizome so that there are two to three healthy eyes on each division.
Plant the cannas in a sunny spot after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Bury the rhizomes, eyes up, about six inches deep, spaced 12 inches apart. Plant them where they have room to spread because they do. They will come up between cracks in walkways. I know, I have them in our walkways.
You can plant cannas in the back of your garden for a tall border. They also do well in pots in sunny locations if you take care to water them well.
Plant just below soil surface. This plant is very effective and showy in groups. Canna foliage acts as a great cover along fence lines and walls. In cooler climates cut all growth back to 10-12 inches above ground level in early winter. In very cold areas protect rhizomes against frost with a layer of mulch. Cannas can be left undisturbed for many years given they are fertilized sufficiently as they become crowded.
Family: Cannaceae (kan-AY-see-ay)
Genus: Canna (KAN-uh)
Species: x generalis (jen-er-RAY-liss)
Category:
Perennials
Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Spacing:
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9° C (5° F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2° C (10° F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4° C (15° F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6° C (20° F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8° C (25° F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1°C (30° F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7° C (35° F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5° C (40° F)
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
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