Canna Lily

Love them or hate them, canna lilies are stunning, especially when in flower. If you are trying to achieve a tropical feel in your landscape, the canna lily will give you the best of both worlds with broad tropical looking foliage topped with brightly colored flowers.  

Canna lilies seem to have a bad reputation with words such as ‘messy’, ‘invasive’ and ‘bug magnets’ often the reasons that customers are reluctant to add one to their landscape. While I can’t argue with the bug magnet part of their reputation, I truly believe with a little work canna lilies are worth the extra time and effort.

Canna lilies aren’t true lilies, in fact their closest plant relations are the gingers (Zingiberaceae) and bananas (Musaceae). Canna lilies are rhizomatous, will grow almost anywhere (okay, so maybe invasive isn’t totally incorrect) and perform their best when regularly divided.

While all canna lilies have a tropical feel to them, there are so many variations in color that you might find it hard to pick just one, especially when you consider canna lilies have leaf colors ranging from green to red to variegated, and flowers ranging from pastel pinks and yellows to fluorescent reds and oranges. If the varieties that regularly hit 6’ are a little more than you can handle then there are verities that top out at a more respectable 4’.

BUGS

Let’s address the ‘bug magnet’ issue. Yes, grasshoppers, slugs, snails and beetles are going to view your canna lily as an early Christmas present when they first sprout in early Spring. The grasshoppers will eat from the outside of the leaf towards the center, the beetles will chew enormous holes in the middle of your leaves and the slugs and snails will turn the leaves to mush and leave pretty little silver trails all over your plants. There is no way to sugar coat it, at this point your canna lily is going to look like it just went through a hurricane (are you rushing out to buy one yet?). 

There are a few options available to you to help combat the bugs. While I recommend an organic solution to a garden problem more often than not, in this instance I cry chemical solution loud and clear. My favorite product is Fertilome Tree and Shrub Drench. The active chemical in this product is ‘imidacloprid’ and it basically works as a poison. Following the directions carefully you mix the product with water and then you spread the mix around the bottom of the plant, just like you would if you were watering. The roots of the plant absorb the mixture and it spreads throughout the entire plant over the course of about two weeks. From that point on anything that bites or sucks at the leaves will die. The label tells you that it will last for about 6-12 months however I have found that using it first thing in the Spring and then towards the end of the Summer gives my plants the best protection.  

Of course, if you are a staunch supporter of organic solutions then I would recommend a preventative program using a mixture of organic sprays. You will need a contact spray for the grasshoppers and beetles, an oil based product such as Neem to suffocate any sap suckers and beer traps for the slugs and snails (note to self - post blog about beer traps). Using organics won’t stop the damage occurring but if you keep to a regular schedule you can minimize it. 

MESSY 

Are canna lilies a messy plant? Yup, they most certainly are. Canna lilies can flower impressively and extensively and as the flowers fade they will drop to the ground and require you to spend some time picking them all up. Also, even with the use of chemical and/or organic sprays you will still have to remove damaged leaves as wind and sun can burn the leaf edges. Bottom line, even though it sounds like a lot of work, I still consider canna lilies as only requiring moderate maintenance.  

INVASIVE 

I prefer the phrase ‘easy to grow’ (there is your first clue). Anyone can grow a canna lily (there is your second clue) and be successful at it. Canna lilies do spread quickly (last and final clue) and unless you are trying to fill a large garden bed with nothing but canna lilies you will need to divide them every other year.

WHERE TO PLANT 

Canna lilies will grow beautifully in a full sun position however they are susceptible to burn along the leaf edges, so if possible pick a spot that gets a little shade in the afternoon. This will help cut down on the time spent removing damaged leaves. 

Canna lilies are one of those plants that both love water and are drought resistant. You can plant canna lilies in a boggy area and they will thrive. You can plant them in an area that drains easily and as long as you throw a little water their way every so often, they will thrive. Of course, I recommend regular watering to establish a strong root system but let’s be honest, I have been known to go three or four weeks between watering and they still look fabulous.  

I am the fertilizer Queen. I may forget to water, weed, divide and spray but I never forget to fertilize. Well fertilized plants grow faster, look healthier, flower better, and winter over easier. Canna lilies will do fine without fertilizer but add a little fertilizer in the Spring when they first emerge and then fertilize again in mid-Summer (if fertilizing in Summer use an organic to prevent fertilizer burn) and you will notice the difference.  

Hopefully I have inspired at least one person to try a canna lily, because let’s be honest, only one of you needs to grow one, the rest of us can just wait until next Spring and take one of your fifty canna lily babies.