Today’s favorite in the garden topic is cannas. The large, stately stalks, vibrant leaves and colorful blooms are considered a tropical flower, yet they grow well in our area of Middle Tennessee! We will enjoy some pictures of these amazing flowers, go over some ideas on where they would look nicely planted, and daydream for a few about this summer when our cannas will be gracing us with their bold, bright blooms!
Cannas, in our area, serve as an annual (unless maybe we had just the mildest of winters), but in warmer climates, cannas are a perennial. They are among the most colorful and striking blooms of the summer, with heights reaching 4-6′. With heights like that, they need some special places to grow well and look appropriate in the garden.
Here are a few places where they would work well into a design:
They would be beautiful by your mailbox if you have nothing else planted there currently. These bright stalks coming up on either side of your post would be gorgeous in the summer!
In front of a row of evergreen trees, if you have a garden bed, cannas’ vibrant colors would pop off the dark evergreen leaves.
Against an 8′ tall fence, cannas would show up well and would have the height of the fence behind them to add proportion.
As a focal point in between two windows of your house, cannas would be beautiful.
Many people like to grow cannas in large containers. If you have a large front porch or columns on your front porch, two large containers on either side of your front steps with these growing in them would certainly make a nice statement!
Cannas love full sun, so be sure to plant them where they can receive at least 6 hours of full sun each day. They bloom all summer and into early fall, so they really pack a lot of punch into their bloom season through the length of blooms and their unique effect of a tropical look. We are selling a few different varieties of cannas at Riverbend currently. No matter where you choose to plant them, cannas are a beautiful, striking addition to add to your garden!