skip to main content

New to Cannas

18 years ago

I want to plant a Canna in each of two containers for the front of my house along with some geraniums and nicotiana. I can buy a Canna plant that is already about 12" tall for about $8.95. Or I can buy some bulbs at Lowe's for alot less. Will the bulbs (or rhisomes) grow quickly or would it be better to get the already growing plants? Thanks for a silly question from a newbie.

Sharon

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

micke
18 years ago
Cannas grow pretty quickly (and they get very tall if you fertilize) but if you are like me and can't stand to wait for bloom you better go w/the 12" one, make sure you bring them in and store them when it gets below freezing or they will die. (the rhisomes)
zitro_joe
18 years ago
Since you are located in a Z4. Buy the cannas already growing you'll put yourself at least a month ahead of schedule since your growing season is so short.

Fertilize'em with a lower nitogen, I use 8-20-20 slow release pellets. The will multiply fast, make sure you container i slarge enough to handle the growth. I would not use anything smaller than a 12" pot. I used an 8" clay pot last year, I always meant to re-pot but never did, anyhow the cannas busted the pot into pieces later in the fall. Have fun.

Joe
Related Discussions
New to Canna - How much water?
Q
Comments (3)
I don't think it's possible to over water most canna. If you have a sandy soil, you will probally have to water daily. If you have pretty rich soil, maybe a deep watering once or twice a day. Mulch helps too! I do know that the more you water them, the more they grow.
...See More
New to Canna's
Q
Comments (2)
C J, Typically most canna cultivars will produce two to four flower heads per stalk. Each flower cluster is produced on separate short stems arising off the main stalk. It is permissible to carefully remove (cut) the smaller off-set flower stem but do not cut the main stalk at this time. As your plant continues to produce new stalks and foliage the original stalk may be (if you chose) totally removed near the base of the plant once that stem has completed its flowering cycle. For first timers, it might be best to simply remove each individual bloom after it begins to wither or dry without cutting any stems. It becomes readily apparent how and where to remove the spent flower clusters with a little experience. For those who wish to harvest seed you do not want to remove the flower clusters because the seed pods form at the base of each flower. Canna var. Phasion aka Tropicanna is sterile and will not produce viable seed. Kent
...See More
New to Cannas
Q
Comments (5)
OldWriter, I just got here, been working of all things... In Texas, I think you can get cannas to grow anywhere by doing anything or by doing nothing! Give them full sun, & plant them out of the wind. Wind will catch those big leaves like sails, & you'll have rags & tatters for leaves. Don't ask me how I know this. I just do. I never have tried to grow one without a rhizome, but several people on this forum grow them from seed, which of course wouldn't have a rhizome for at least the first year. It seems like I've read that they have to baby seedlings for a year or so, maybe until they grow a rhizome? I don't know about cutting them back; the only time I cut them back, or see anyone else cutting them back, is after they "melt" into brown slimy remnants of themselves after the first hard frost, usually after Thanksgiving here in DFW. Best luck. sylvia
...See More
New to Canna's
Q
Comments (3)
If you want to fertilize, I suggest Milorganite. It is a pretty gentle (but stinky) fertilizer. And it is also used as a deer deterrent; can't say 100 percent sure on whether that works or not. Bulbs like Canna seem to love it. I have a canna that blooms yellow flowers. It isn't in the greatest area but has doubled in size and is full of blooms.
...See More
micke
18 years ago
I use horse manure (I've got plenty of that!) I don't have to worry about how much fertilizer i'm adding that way (it don't burn) and the results are still excellent!
westiesam
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks to all for the information -- I'll think I'll go with the "already growing" plants. I am planting them in 24" diameter containers - so I hope they do well. I've always thought they were such a beautiful plant. If it works, I'll post pictures later.
Joe - what type of fertilizer would that be? I normally use Miracle Grow Plant food, but it doesn't have those same numbers.
Sharon
zitro_joe
18 years ago
A local comapny here makes the stuff I use. Miracle Gro works fine. It just has a little higher Nitrogen level than I like. I think they have a slow release pellet that is 10-10-10. The higher nitrogen doesnt really burn the canna, it elongates them. I like my cannas with plush foliage. I used composted manure this spring in some containers and it is doing wonders to those plants. I am already having blooms!

Joe
wanna_run_faster
18 years ago
Also, just a word of advice from one canna newbie to another... :) please read the excellent information on identifying the canna virsuses so you don't take home an infected one.
lee466
18 years ago
I have cannas that I got from my neighbor a year ago, and they grow very fast, a canna that my neighbor has is suppose to get 8' tall and it got nearly 12' tall, she put it in a warmer spot in her yard with lots of afternoon sun, and she did not give it any plant food. I got plants that were growing that I got from lowes, and I planted some of the bulbs in the ground and they bloomed at the same time. here in zone 6b my neighbor leaves one of hers in the ground in a protected spot all year.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Cannas

Easy to grow and maintain, these showy, colorful plants are perfect for beginning gardeners

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Canna 'Pretoria'

By Annie Thornton

Plant this showstopping lily in your garden now for the lush feel of a tropical landscape all summer long

GARDENING GUIDES 7 Tropical Wonders of the Plant World

By CYAN Horticulture

Go for high impact with the spectacular foliage, over-the-top florals or iconic profiles of these hand-picked tropical favorites

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Is Your Garden Minding the Viewing Speed Limit?

By Billy Goodnick Garden Design

Follow these signposts to steer garden viewers toward an experience they can fully appreciate

FLOWERS Great Design Plant: Lilies

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Try these delightfully exotic stunners for paintbox colors, deep fragrance and intricately detailed petals

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Invite Entertaining Hummingbirds Into Your Garden

By Habitat Network

Hummingbirds — unique to the Americas — zip through open landscapes seasonally or year-round. Here’s how to attract them

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Reinvent It: Salvaged Pieces Frame a Parisian-Style Pergola

By Becky Harris

Gaslamp posts from the 1930s and upcycled fencing make for a patio structure befitting a historic potting shed in Philadelphia

GARDENING GUIDES Top 12 Summer-Blooming Perennials for Deer-Resistant Drama

Can you have garden color, fragrance and exciting foliage with hungry deer afoot? These beauties say yes

EARTH DAY Grow a Beautiful Garden With Ecofriendly Greywater

By Greywater Corps

Reducing home water waste means lower bills and a healthier planet. Here's how to set up a greywater home irrigation system that can help

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Give Your Driveway and Front Walk More Curb Appeal

By Laura Gaskill

Prevent injuries and tire damage while making a great first impression by replacing or repairing front paths

Sponsored

More Discussions

What are most effektive Medical Canna ?

1

Possible Canna Virus

3