How to Plant Canna Bulbs (& Tips to Get More Canna Lily Blooms)

Most of the cosmetic plant that I ’m growing in my backyard are by all odds not aboriginal to the Northern Hemisphere where I garden . My camellia are aboriginal to Asia , as are my rhododendrons and evenmy tulip .

Yet somehow , probably because they have been used in gardens around these part for hundreds of long time , these plant still see like they belong .

Which is something I ca n’t say about canna lilies . With their lush glossy foliage ( standardised to that of banana tree ) and flowers with convoluted petal in smart colors , canna lily still look very much like some special tropic touch in gardens around these role .

Cannas bring a tropical touch to any garden, no matter how far north.

Strangely enough , canna lilies have been in cultivation ever since the 1850s , when gaga coinage were first hybridized and turned into ornamental to adorn the gardens of European aristocracy .

If you want to give canna lily a try , I ’ll give you a few tips on how to get them started ( either in pots or directly in the terra firma ) . I ’ll also traverse how to grow cannas to maximize blooming time .

What kind of canna should I plant?

I ’m convince that there is a canna lily for every style and ( almost ) any size garden . This twelvemonth , I ’m get two new cannas into my yard . Because I ’m packing everything in a small suburban game – much like a game of floral tetris – both of the Modern cannas I ’m starting this spring are smaller cultivars .

Canna ‘ Orange Punch’is a summary cultivar that will only grow to about four feet marvelous ( roughly around 120 cm ) . I ca n’t look for it to reach matureness and set out unfurling clusters of peach - Orange River flowers adorned with yellow streaks .

I design on transplant this one to the garden once the danger of knockout freeze has pass – probably in other May . But if I require to , I could just transport it to a bigger pot and keep rise it as a container plant .

As it stands , we ’re expecting more drouth this summer , and cannas are quite thirsty plants , so I ’d rather not lay on the line stunt its development by depriving it of water while we ’re on vacation .

Canna ‘ Salmon Pink’is another brusque canna that will only reach around three feet in height ( around 90 centimeters ) . But the flower of this one uprise gravid than those of the ‘ Orange Punch . ’ The soft pink nuance of the blooms contrasts attractively with the benighted green leafage . It really is a match made in color palette heaven .

However , if you have enough blank space , there ’s no pauperization to stick to petite canna lilies . There are so many canna cultivar on the market in various heights and colors . And because cannas foliation also comes in unlike shades of green , mauve or burgundy , you may create so many displays with these tropical ravisher .

Cannas bring a tropical touch to any garden, no matter how far north.

A few of my favorite canna lilies include:

Canna ‘ Madame Butterfly ’ – a smaller sort with green foliage topped with big salmon - pinkish blooms ;

Canna ‘ tropic Bronze ’ – bronze foliage and scarlet red-faced blooms ;

Canna ‘ Black Knight ’ – stunning black leaf with shiny - red flowers ;

Canna ‘Orange Punch’ is a shorter cultivar, perfect for my small suburban garden.

Canna ‘ Crimson Beauty ’ – green foliage and rich - flushed bloom ;

Canna ‘ Miss Oklahoma ’ – green foliage and coral pink flush ;

Canna ‘ stripy Beauty ’ – immature foliage with yellow stripe and yellow prime with white-hot markings ;

Canna ‘Salmon Pink’ is another compact choice for my crowded garden.

Canna ‘ Stuttgart ’ – variegated green and blank foliage and elegantly stack orange bloom ;

Canna ‘ Inferno ’ – variegate multicolored foliage and insanely red blooms .

How to start canna bulbs indoors

Cannas are summertime bulb , so I commonly start them indoors as too soon as March . I have a reasonably poor growing season in my geographical zone , so starting cannas in pots is the easiest way to stake the system and bypass the small temperatures on the forecast this saltation .

A good rule of ovolo is to start your cannas a good six to eight calendar week before you plan on graft them outside , and that ’s exactly what I ’m doing .

If you ’re plan to plant your canna rhizomes direct in the garden , hold off until the peril of hard frost has passed .

Bronze canna foliage is stunning, even when the flowers aren’t yet in bloom.

Starting canna in pots is really easy . And if you ’ve readmy tutorial on how to jump Dahlia pinnata in pots(another tender summertime bulb ) , you ’ll recognize the steps .

This is what a canna bulb ( actually call off a rhizome ) looks like . Before you set it , make certain you ’ve identified which fashion is up . You ’ll require to plant it with the old stem cut look up and the roots face down . Your rhizome may or may not have ‘ eye ’ already sprouting . These will show up around the ‘ neck opening ’ ( the erstwhile stem ) and will produce into new plants this summer .

My canna had all sprouted in their newspaper pocketbook . I surmise this happened because I maintain them for a couple of weeks at way temperature after I had receive them from the vendor .

When choosing a canna for your garden, the foliage is almost as important as the flowers.

Because cannas are planted so late into the season , sprout is bound to pass quite often . It should n’t interfere too much with the development of the new plant life , unless we ’re talk about really long shoot that may rest too leggy for too long into the growing time of year .

Choose a big enough pot.

When you ’re starting canna lily indoors , it ’s important to prefer a pot that can lodge the size of it of the rootstalk . Take into account the fact that , as the rhizome absorbs some water , it may expand ( just a petty bit ) . That ’s why you do n’t require to plant it too snugly and have it protrude through the wall of the container .

At the same prison term , choosing a much orotund container – that may terminate up requiring too much dirt to occupy – may contribute to overwatering your bulb . It ’s not a problem if you do n’t have overwatering tendencies ( I do ) , but keep this in mind before you select the pot .

Amend your soil to improve drainage.

Every time we set something in a container – include plants that we ’re just depart in pots and be after on remove later – we require to prefer a potting medium that drains properly .

My recommendation is to always go for intermixture that are particularly made for pots , not for out-of-door garden exercise . That commonly mean they ’re not just made up of pure compost , but also stop ingredients – such as coco coir , chopped barque or perlite – that forestall the soil from stay too miry .

Even though I had buy a high - character potting mix , I still tally a minuscule bit of perlite to make the potting mixture more fluffy and less absorbent . My bulb rescue derive packed with some dry texture stalk , so I combine those in as well .

I pre-ordered these canna rhizomes in mid-winter, and they were delivered in spring.

Bury the rhizome all the way.

take the rhizome upright and start replete the pot around it , tapping now and again to verify the soil settles . But do n’t tauten it in place . Keep filling the pot until you ’ve covered the rhizome , but do n’t occupy if the old stem is still stay put out .

Water the pot once you’re done.

Some gardener favour to soak the rhizome for a few hours before planting it . Upon confining inspection , I decided to skip this step because the light bulb seemed pretty loyal and hydrated to the touch . However , keep in mind that moisture helps jumpstart the shoot process ; so if you do n’t presoak your rhizome , you need to water it as soon as you ’re done planting .

Then you postulate to ensure that the soil stays nice and moist without becoming too sloughy . I launch that for the first calendar month or so , I do n’t need to irrigate more than once a hebdomad . Once the industrial plant starts growing more smartly , it may need more frequent lachrymation .

Don’t forget to label your bulbs.

I ’m quite adamantine about thorough labeling as soon as I ’m done with any planting job . I ’m starting unlike canna cultivar , but the leaf will seem very exchangeable for the first couplet of month , so labels are a must .

Some gardeners also add the planting day of the month to the recording label . I only do this with harvest that I plant in multiple clutch throughout the time of year ( such as salad greens ) . However , I do record this information in my gardening spreadsheet ; it will come in very handy in future long time when I ’m plan my garden .

It took about two calendar week to see signs of growth for the canna rhizome I ’m keeping indoors .

This is what a canna rhizome looks like. The old stem stump should be facing up.

How to start canna lilies in the garden

Let me reiterate that if you ’re starting your canna lily straight in a garden bed or a edge , you call for to look until the risk of Robert Lee Frost is gone in your gardening zone . attempt to hold off on planting your canna out until the temperatures have reached 60F ( about 16C ) .

Unless you ’re in a cold - hardy zone ( generally USDA zone 7 through 10 , or equivalent ) , you ’ll have to start up canna lilies every year from rhizome ; then you ’ll have to dig them out and store them in a sheltered distance over the winter .

One musical composition of advice that I ’ll never tyre of giving is to always consider the size of the matured plant before you put even a individual seed or bulb in the terra firma . This is peculiarly important for canna because some cultivars will get really big leaf . You do n’t desire them to end up cramp out all the surrounding plants .

This canna had sprouted in the bag. It’s still perfectly fine to plant.

likewise , if you ’re produce canna in a moulding , believe the maximum height of your opt cultivar . You do n’t want to end up inadvertently shading other plant behind a drapery of grandiloquent canna .

The best place to plant cannas in your garden

When imbed canna lily outdoors , keep in mind their tropic origins . To set your cannas up for success , you have to plant them in a touch that gets stack of water and plenty of sun .

Let ’s start with the plenty of piss part . This does n’t mean that you should plant them in a swampland . Although I ’ve seen canna used as pool plants , I also know that ’s basically treat them as a single - enjoyment ( one-year ) plant . Too much water and the rhizomes will rot .

What you want is dirt that gets muckle of water system , but where water does n’t pool after a storm . If there ’s still H2O loaf in puddle a undecomposed hr after it has rained , then you may need to improve your soil with more compost or leaf mold to make it more permeable .

Don’t crowd your canna rhizomes too much, but don’t go for a big container either.

Cannas need sun.

In ordination to maximize the blooming potential of your canna lilies , attempt to plant them in a spot that gets full Sunday . That means at least six hours of sunlight a sidereal day at peak bloom time ( commonly July and August ) . canna can tolerate part shade ; but if you want an abundance of flowers , you ’ll only be begin them if the plant gets enough sunlight .

If your garden does n’t get enough sunlight , my advice is to choose a smaller ( as in shorter ) cultivar . Yes , the marvelous cultivars may contact more sun , but they ’ll also likely develop skinny and need gage if they do n’t have enough natural light .

Plant cannas with the “eye” facing up.

Just like when planting them in pots , when you plant canna in your garden , judge to get “ the centre ” ( the sprout ) present up , if it ’s visible . labour a cakehole late enough to accommodate the rootstock plus an extra two inches of soil on top ( about five cm ) .

you could bury your canna rhizomes even deeper if you have the space , especially if you ’re growing tall cultivars that ask a flake of astuteness to stay upright in strong winds . But since I ’m planting short cultivars , I do n’t need to anchor them as deep .

Always give any bulbs and rhizomes you imbed a good watering as presently as you get them in the earth . This will help rehydrate the stored bulb and jumpstart the grow process . you may keep water the planting site at least once a week if you ’re not mystify enough rain this saltation .

I added some perlite and dry grain husks to the pot in order to improve drainage.

Cannas need water.

talk of water , keep in judgement that your canna will ask ordered moisture throughout the summer . So a cycle of drouth and watering might not produce the good results in terms of blooming , although it will not kill the works .

Before you plant the cannas , meliorate the soil with compost and organic matter . And after you ’ve planted them , give the area a in effect mulch to help lock in moisture and downplay desiccation .

I hope all my suggestions for canna lily care have n’t put you off uprise this tropic beauty . Yes , they may sound like finicky flora , but they ’re really not that demanding . If you ’ve ever grow dahlias or gladiolus , you ’re well equipt to give cannas a effort . And they ’ll reward you with exquisitely coloured flowers until October . That ’s a gamble deserving take , I think .