The Madman Loves His Cannas

Believe it or not, the madman loves a plant that is not poisonous. The Canna Lily. We used to just grow it at the far end of the Row of Death. But then it multiplied. You know how the madman hates to throw plants in the compost. So now, we have quite a few Canna Lilies – most of them red with maroon leaves. I say most, but we’ll get to that later.

We got our real start with Cannas by accident. Friend and fellow master gardener Kate Hull showed up at a meeting with a trunk-full of Canna rhizomes. Apparently, she used them to screen her vegetable garden from the neighbors. But her supply of rhizomes had outgrown her space. She wanted to give away her extras, but threatened to compost what wasn’t taken. The madman felt her pain – after all takers were done, he took the rest. I just shook my head at the amount.

Our Canna Failure

I have to admit that this would not be our first foray into the world of Cannas. We had tried them years ago before we understood the concept of hardiness zones. The plants are hardy in Zones 7-10. We left the rhizomes in the ground and our Zone 6 winter killed them. This time would be different because we had a plan – dig them up in the fall.

If you aren’t familiar with Canna Lilies (Canna indica and C. glauca) the madman highly recommends you consider growing this exotic looking plant. Canna Lilies are the only genus of flowering plants in the family Cannaceae. It’s not really a lily. In fact, it’s more closely related to Bananas than to Lilies. Just look at the leaves. Interesting, huh?

American Genus

Anyway, Canna Lilies originated in tropical America where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. It is actually one of the first plants cultivated by Native Americans. From there, it traveled to India thanks to Dutch traders from the East India Company. Then, it found its way to European gardens by the 1860s. Unlike the Native Americans, Europeans grew Canna Lilies for show. And, why not?

Their broad flat leaves are fascinating at any stage of growth. They begin as a single furled stem that slowly unfurls as the plant reaches toward its six-to-eight-foot height. The madman says the deep veins in the leaf are pretty cool to look at. Actually, the foliage alone makes the plant garden worthy.

Showy Blooms

But, then the flowers appear on stalks reaching out above the lush foliage. The showy blooms in various shades of reds, yellows and oranges provide a tropical appeal to your garden all summer. Although not favored by butterflies, they attract other pollinators such as Bees, Bats and Hummingbirds. This fact has become very appealing to the madman. As good luck would have it, when we realized that we wouldn’t have enough Brugmansias to line our new path, we filled large pots with extra Canna rhizomes.

They grew and flowered. One day at breakfast, the madman noticed a Hummingbird right outside the window – attracted by the red Canna blooms. Looks like the Brugmansias will be sharing the path with Canna Lilies in the future.

Growing Collection

And it looks like the madman’s collection of Canna’s will increase. This year, we’ve already added a Bright Pink and a Gold. And, why not? Canna growers have developed many variations in height, leaf color and flower hue. They have even developed cultivars specifically for growing in containers.

Canna Lilies are really easy to grow as long as you keep in mind a couple of key points. They need 6-8 hours of full sun and prefer warm weather. Like many other exotic bloomers, they are heavy feeders. So, don’t be afraid to feed frequently – liquid fertilizer is highly recommended when the plants are flowering. Those in containers need more fertilizer than those in the ground. We used to just plant our Canna Lilies in rich garden soil with lots of compost and leave them be.

Hummingbird Magnet

But, as we began to realize how much our Hummingbirds like Cannas, we are starting to move them closer to the house. And, this means containers. If you plan to grow Canna Lilies in containers, remember bigger is better. And, they will require more frequent watering.

These plants are relative pest free. Occasionally aphids, mealy bugs or spider mites may show up. All of these are easy to control with a blast of NEEM or insecticidal soap. For us, slugs seem to be the major problem. The madman picks them off but I use diatomaceous earth or coffee grounds to repel them because I won’t touch the darned things.

Stop Watering

When the weather begins to cool, we’ll withhold water and move the container Cannas into the étalier where the plants will begin to whither. Then they’ll spend a dry winter in the basement. As for the Cannas in the ground, we’ll let the first frost kill the leaves. Then we’ll dig up the rhizomes. After a couple of days of drying on screens in the greenhouse, we will pack them away in boxes filled with newspaper. The key here is to keep individual rhizomes from touching each other. Over the winter, we’ll store the boxes in a cool, dark closet.

Wait For Warm Weather

Next spring, we’ll wait for the weather to warm up. Canna Lilies shouldn’t be planted until the soil has warmed up. Kate, the originator of our rhizome stock, said to plant them when we would plant the potatoes. But the madman says mid-May is a good time to plant potatoes and rhizomes. Dig a 4-6” hole and place rhizomes side-wise with the shoots facing up. Cover with rich compost, water well and walk away. If using containers, don’t scrimp on the size. Cannas need a lot of room for their extensive roots. After a couple of years, you’ll have to dump the pots and separate the rhizomes.

Seeds Are Difficult

Canna Lilies can be started from seed or root cutting. Seeds are hard to come by and most cultivars are sterile anyway. Besides that, seeds from nonsterile cultivars are never true to the parent plant. If that’s not bad enough, plants from seed take roughly 3 years to flower. Better to start from a bag of rhizomes, the madman says. Before you know it, the rhizomes will multiply, and you will have all you need.

We’ll leave you with a couple more good reasons to enjoy the beauty of Canna Lilies. They are deer resistant. And, since the plant is edible, it is safe for pets and children – not something we can always say about the madman’s favorites.

Hummingbirds are at the Cannas, so it’s time to watch them with a glass of lemonade.