Canna lily Flowers

Type of Flowers

Canna Lily:

Cannas lily are vibrant tender perennials that produce bold leaves and showy flowers in shades of red, orange, yellows and pinks. It is a useful summer bedding plant for both containers and borders, but does well in cool conservatories in summer. Cannas can be grown in borders or containers. 

They are grown from rhizomes (underground stems), which you will find for sale in late winter in bags of shredded paper, or sold loose. Cannas are easy to grow from rhizomes, but you can also buy plants over the summer. They are tender plants, but in warmer parts of the UK you can leave the rhizomes in the ground with a covering of mulch.

Start rhizomes off into growth in March by planting in 20cm (8in) pots using multi-purpose compost. The rhizomes should be just covered with compost, leaving any young shoots exposed. Water lightly. Keep the rhizomes at a temperature of 10-16°C (50-61°F), such as in a heated greenhouse or sunny conservatory. If heating is not available, delay potting until April. Increase watering as growth develops. 

Move the plants to a cool greenhouse in mid-April and gradually harden off before planting out at the end of May (or when the last frosts have past). 

Plant about 75cm (30in) apart, 10cm (4in) deep. In borders, choose a sheltered, sunny spot and soil that has been improved by digging in well-rotted manure or garden compost. Also apply a general purpose fertilizer, such as growmore, at 70g per sq m (2oz per sq yd).

If growing in containers, use one at least 30cm (1ft) wide. Fill with a John Innes No. 3 loam-based compost and add a controlled-release fertiliser. Plant the rhizomes at the same depth as in borders (see above).

To help keep your cannas healthy.

• Water freely in dry spells 
• Apply a liquid fertiliser in midsummer 
• Deadhead to encourage continued flowering 
• Little pruning or training is needed. Just stake clumps in exposed positions 
• When a flower spike has no more buds, prune it down to the next side shoot where a secondary flower spike should develop 
• Under glass, grow in full light but shade from hot sun. If temperatures are maintained above 10°C (50°F) cannas will remain in growth all winter and flower occasionally 

In mild areas: Plants can be left outside all year in a sunny, sheltered position. However, apply a 15cm (6in) deep layer of mulch in winter and be prepared that there may be losses in very cold or wet winters.

In colder areas: Pot-grown specimens can simply be moved into a frost-free place. Otherwise, lift the rhizomes once the top growth begins to wither in autumn. Cut down the foliage and stems to about 15cm (6in). Remove surplus soil, dry and then store in trays in barely-damp wood vermiculite or multi-purpose compost. Place in a frost-free position for the winter. Little, if any, watering should be necessary.

A common problem is non-flowering. 

This is usually due to starting the rhizomes into growth late, but can also be caused by a lack of water or poor soil fertility. Plants can be infected with virus, which may be indicated by distorted foliage, or a yellow streaking, or mosaic pattern on the leaves. There is no cure for viruses and infected plants should be destroyed. 

Other problems include usual garden pests such as glasshouse red spider mite, aphids, slugs and snails.