Buy Canna, Bronze Beauty 1 Pkt. (5 seeds)
If planting tubers, place them 3 inches deep into the soil and space them 18-24 inches apart. They are most striking when planted in large numbers, so it won't pay you to skimp when ordering tubers. If you want to be thrifty, buy the seed instead and start them a little earlier.
Canna x generalis requires a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day to bloom well. The plants are heavy feeders and like a lot of organic compost mixed into their soil. They like a moist to wet soil during the summer and can be used to good effect in boggy areas.
Buy Canna, Dwarf Mixture 5 Bulbs
There is a property in my neighborhood that slopes down sharply to the street. The street frontage tends to collect water during the rainy season. The householder has made brilliant use of this area by planting Canna and bananas along this strip.
Talk about taking a
lemon and making lemonade!
Like bananas, Cannas can take all the moisture you can throw at them in the heat of summer, but they don't like to be wet during the winter. If you don't have a bog to plant them in, mulching will help to conserve water.
Canna X genralis tubers are hardy in the ground to zone 7b. In colder areas, they will have to be lifted and stored over the winter. This is also the best way to preserve the tubers if the winters are wet where you live.
There is one major pest that plagues the Canna lily.
Leaf rollers.
These are caterpillars that roll themselves up in the plant's leaves and eat them. They are the reason I have given up growing Canna. I got tired of fighting these nasty worms.
They are more of a problem in some areas than in others. In fact, some gardeners have never seen one on their plants. Some people only see a few here and there and can just hand pick them off. I, of course, had tons of them.
If you need to control them with a spray, Bacillus Thuringiensis
is a good organic control.
If you're not a "green" gardener and feel then chemical warfare is in order, the systemic insecticide Orthene will work as well. Bayer Advanced Garden 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care will feed and protect your Canna lilies from leaf miners at the same time.
Buy Canna x Generalis Tubers
More Tender Perennials:
Cat Whiskers
Cat whiskers is a tender perennial that blooms all summer long in 5 inch spikes. The purple or white flowers of Orthosiphon aristatus feature long stamens which resemble a cat's whiskers. They remind me of cleome flowers.
Growing Hibiscus - Winter Care
Tropical hibiscus winter care entails providing the plants with "summer" growing conditions indoors. If you do this, they will continue to bloom through the winter. If you cannot provide a false summer indoors, you can cut the plants back and store them in a cold but frost-free area.
Wintering Canna Bulbs
Wintering Canna bulbs or tubers is a concern in places where the ground freezes. It doesn't always involve removing the tubers from the soil.
Go from Canna X Generalis to Plant Guides Home Page
