About

Cannas are bold, exotic looking plants grown for their attractive flowers and foliage. Flower base colours include white, yellow, orange, pink, and red, or any combinations of these colours, which can also be arranged in various patterns. Breeders continue attempting to produce black, blue and green cultivars as well. The flowers are typically bisexual, with both male and female reproductive structures, and are pollinated by a variety of insects, including bees, butterflies, and moths.

Canna 'Australia'

 

The large, banana-like foliage may be green, bronze-burgundy, or variegated in a striped or marbled pattern, arranged alternately along the stem.

 

In addition, many grow large, attractive fruits, which eventually give us seed for growing new plants next year.  The fruit is a warty capsule with small and numerous seeds. If seed is not wanted, then extra flowers can be encouraged by dead-heading after flowering, ensuring that none of the plant's energy is wasted.

 

Distribition C indica has become naturalized in many tropical areas around the world, is a difficult plant to remove, and is invasive in some places. Canna cultivars are grown in most countries, even those with territory above the Arctic Circle, which have short summers, but long days, and the rapid growth rate of cannas makes them a feasible gardening plant, as long as they receive 6–8 hours of sunlight each day during the growing season and are protected from the cold of winter.

 

C. 'Queensland Arrowroot'

The canna Agriculture Group is very important from an economic point of view because its rhizomatous tubers, containing 28% starch, and provide a particularly digestible starch, suitable for feeding children and sick people. It is cultivated as a food plant in the Pacific and in parts of Asia and Australia. The rhizomes of some species such as C. discolor are sometimes also eaten, and those of C. gigantea and C. speciosa provide extracts with medicinal properties.

 

Canna Science Cannas are not true lilies, but have been assigned by the APG II system of 2003 to the order Zingiberales in the monocot clade Commelinids, together with their closest relatives, the gingers, spiral gingers, bananas, arrowroots, heliconias, and birds of paradise. Cannas are unique, in that they are the only member of their Cannaceae family, which also means that they cannot be crossed with other plant families.

Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Clade: Commelinids Order: Zingiberales Family: Cannaceae Juss.[1] Genus: Canna  L.

 

Canna 'Sky Hawk' J.K. Johnson

Most canna varieties grow to a height of 45 - 150cm (18"-5'), but a few “giants”, like 'Skyhawk', may reach 300cm (10') or more. Any of these varieties can be used as temporary screens, accents, or background plantings. Smaller “dwarf” varieties that grow only 50cm (1½ ') are suitable for containers, and breeders have now even created a 'table' variety that is suitable for the dinner table.

 

Canna flowers are not what they appear to be. The three sepals and three petals are seldom noticed, they are small and hidden under extravagant stamens. What appear to be petals are the highly modified stamens or staminodes. Only one of the staminodes bears pollen, from a half-anther. A somewhat narrower, 'petal' is the pistil which is connected down to a three-chambered ovary. Although gardeners enjoy these odd flowers, nature really intended them to attract hummingbirds and bats.

 

Culture Cannas perform best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun. At a minimum, water at least once a week during dry weather, however, a daily watering regime will be well rewarded. To promote growth, fertilise once a month with a balanced garden fertilizer such as Growmore. Fortnightly feeds of Miracle Grow can produce amazing results. Remove spent flowers to promote additional blooming. While cannas have a few insect and disease pests, none are considered serious.

 

Canna rhizome

Planting Cannas are usually grown from rhizomes planted directly outdoors after the danger of frost is past (early-May in Claines) or started indoors in large pots in March. Rhizomes should be planted 10-15cm (4"-5") deep.

 

Growing from Seed The most popular seed-grown cannas are from the Tropical Series and include ‘Tropical Rose’ (All-America Selection in 1992), ‘Tropical Red’, ‘Tropical Salmon’, 'Tropical Yellow', and the recent ‘Tropical White’. These usually grow 60-100cm (2'-3') tall. Seeds should be sown indoors in mid- to late-February in a good multipurpose compost.

Week-old seedling Cannas have an extremely hard protective seed coat that is impermeable to water. You can help the germination process by removing a bit of the seed coat through a process called scarification. Prior to planting, take a piece of sandpaper and sand the end of the seed until you get through the black seed coat. You'll know that you're through when you see the white endosperm. Basically, what you're trying to do is make a hole in the seed coat so that water can get through. Now soak overnight in warm water.  Lightly cover the seeds and water them. Maintain a temperature of 21-24°C (70 to 75°F). Germination should occur in 7 to 14 days. Keep the growing medium moist, and do not over-water, as more seedlings die from that cause than from neglect. When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them into individual pots. Plant outdoors after the danger of frost is past. They should flower about 90 to 120 days after the seed was sown.

 

Storage

Fleece blankets protect from frost Cannas overwintering in the barn.

In most areas of Europe, cannas are tender perennials. Cut plants back to 15cm (6") above ground a few days after a hard, killing frost. In southern Europe it is sufficient to mulch and leave until spring, when they can be lifted for dividing. In northern Europe you must carefully dig up the canna clumps with a spade or fork. Leave a small amount of soil around the rhizomes. Allow them to dry for several hours. Store in large boxes, wire or plastic crates in a dry frost-free location, but at a temperature no higher than 10°C (50°F). Large clumps can be divided in the spring before planting. Each rhizome section should have at least 3 to 5 buds to guarantee new stems. If grown in pots, then it is sufficient to bring them indoors and protect from frost-like temperatures, but also do not allow the heat to rise above 10°C (50°F).