Originally Published In The Deseret News -- Sunday, May 31, 1998
Plants Are Not Fussy And Attract Hummingbirds
Cannas are among my favorite summer bulbs. They are plants of many wonderful characteristics, including interesting flowers that come in several colors, ranging from dark red to light green.
The most compelling reason for me to grow cannas, however, is for the leaves. Few plants can rival them for tropical-looking foliage that comes in rich shades of red and green, maroon and bronze. They grow quickly and are wonderful as backgrounds for bedding plants.
Cannas give a subtropical effect if used with castor beans, caladiums or other large leafed plants. Some cultivars are large and need plenty of room, while others are more compact and better adapted for smaller growing areas.
Cannas thrive in warm, sunny locations and need the same conditions as corn - warm, well-drained soil with plenty of decayed organic matter. The plants are tender, so they cannot go in the ground until all danger of frost is past. Many gardeners wait to plant them until the soil is warm.
The plants are readily available from nurseries, though many gardeners save their own from year to year. Planting them directly into the soil is easy, but since they take longer to develop, starting them inside gets a jump on the season.
Start with part of an old tuber containing several strong buds. These can be divided to single buds - but weak buds make weak plants. For large vigorous plants, use whole tubers. Larger plants need 12-18 inches between them for growing room.
Cannas plants are not very fussy and will grow with little care. If you are looking for maximum growth, give them plenty of nutrients and moisture. They will grow as pond plants in standing water, but they grow equally well in a terrestrial environment. The abundant foliage develops so quickly that regular applications of fertilizer are needed to keep them in top form. Though they have few pests, slugs and snails will damage smaller plants and should be controlled with the usual methods.
There are more than 60 cultivars available, providing a wide choice of flower colors and leaf colors, as well as different sizes for the plants. Flowers are not the dominant parts of these plants but add an extra sparkle in the landscape.
Spent flowers should be removed to keep new blossoms developing. Some cannas are self-cleaning, meaning they drop spent blooms and do not need mechanical deadheading. A bonus from the flowers - particularly red ones - is that they attract hummingbirds.
Use these plants to add a new dimension to your flower gardens. Choose the size and colors that will blend well with the other garden plants.
You may even become fascinated enough to start collecting many kinds of these attractive garden plants.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Selected Canna varieties
Arranged by height under Utah growing conditions
Variety: Grumpy
Height (in inches): 18
Flower color: red
Remarks: shortest series
Variety: Doc
Height (in inches): 18
Flower color: deep red
Remarks: shortest series
Variety: Happy
Height (in inches): 18
Flower color: primrose yellow
Remarks: shortest series
Variety: Futurity series
Height (in inches): 24
Flower color: red, rose, pink, yellow
Remarks: some are self-cleaning
Variety: Tropical rose
Height (in inches): 24
Flower color: rose-pink
Remarks: blooms first year from seed
Variety: Lucifer
Height (in inches): 24
Flower color: yellow w/ red centers
Remarks: green foliage
Variety: Pfitzers Dwarf series
Height (in inches): 24
Flower color: red, yellow, coral or salmon pink
Remarks: green foliage
Variety: Angel Pink
Height (in inches): 24
Flower color: apricot and pink
Remarks: self-cleaning
Variety: Confetti
Height (in inches): 30
Flower color: yellow w/ red dots
Remarks: -
Variety: Scarlet Beauty
Height (in inches): 32
Flower color: red
Remarks: blooms early
Variety: Miss Oklahoma
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: pink
Remarks: green foliage
Variety: La Boheme
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: peach
Remarks: mid-green foliage
Variety: La Traviata
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: rose
Remarks: mid-green foliage
Variety: The President
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: scarlet
Remarks: bluish-green leaves
Variety: North Star Landscape Red
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: red
Remarks: self-cleaning
Variety: Rigoletta
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: yellow
Remarks: mid-green foliage
Variety: Durban
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: tomato red
Remarks: bronze foliage w/ orange, yellow and red stripes
Variety: Stadt Fellbach
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: peach, orange
Remarks: vigorous grower
Variety: Rosamond Cole
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: scarlet w/ sharp, narrow yellow edge
Remarks: yellow buds
Variety: Tropicanna
Height (in inches): 36
Flower color: orange
Remarks: variegated foliage
Variety: City of Portland
Height (in inches): 42
Flower color: rosy pink
Remarks: compact
Variety: Endevour
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: soft red
Remarks: blue-green foliage
Variety: Richard Wallace
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: yellow
Remarks: vigorous grower
Variety: Striata
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: orange
Remarks: purple stems with light-green leaves
Variety: King Midas
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: yellow w/ orange markings
Remarks: dark green
Variety: Wyoming
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: orange
Remarks: bronze foliage
Variety: Black Knight (Ambassador)
Height (in inches): 48
Flower color: dark red
Remarks: bronze foliage
Variety: Red King Humbert
Height (in inches): 54
Flower color: orange-red
Remarks: bronze-red foliage
Variety: Yellow King Humbert
Height (in inches): 60
Flower color: red-splashed yellow
Remarks: mid-green foliage
Variety: Stuttgart
Height (in inches): 60
Flower color: pale pink w/ tinges of orange, red and yellow
Remarks: foliage burns under hot, dry conditions
Variety: Pretoria
Height (in inches): 60
Flower color: orange
Remarks: green with yellow stripes
Variety: TyTy Red
Height (in inches): 60
Flower color: orange-red
Remarks: bronze-purple
Variety: Assault
Height (in inches): 60
Flower color: orange-scarlet
Remarks: purple-brown foliage
© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.