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Canna Canna glauca

Phonetic Spelling
KAN-uh GLAW-kuh
Description

Canna Glauca is a species of the Canna genus, a family of large tropical plants that produce gladiolus-like flower spikes in summer. The flowers of Canna Glauca can be red, salmon pink, yellow, or burnt orange and sit atop tall erect stems that are sheathed in large paddle-shaped leaves. The foliage is also very colorful and allows the plant to retain ornamental interest when not in flower. Because the leaves are so large, you should avoid placing the plant where it would be subject to high winds. Canna Glauca, like the Canna genus, is a herbaceous perennial that grows best in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade (it cannot grow in full shade).

To propagate the plant, remove the flowering stems after blooms have passed and, in the fall after the first frost, cut the plant back to the ground. You can leave the rhizomes, or bulbs, in the ground if your winters are temperate (usual in USDA zones 7 through 10); however, if winters include freezes, treat the plant as an annual and dig up the rhizomes in fall and store them in a dry medium such as peat or vermiculite in a cool dry location that does not get below 40 degrees F over the winter. In the spring, after the last frost, plant the rhizome 4 to 6 inches deep. If the plant has been grown in a container, you can submerge the container in ponds or water gardens with the crowns under no more than 8” of water. Lift the containers in fall, cut back the plant tops and overwinter the containers in cool, dry, frost-free locations until spring.

Canna do well in water and can be grown in up to 6 inches of water during the summer. If this is your strategy, you should gradually introduce the plant to aquatic life. It also does best in full sun and cannot grow in full shade.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:

Keep in mind that rhizomes may rot in poorly drained wet soils and the plants are susceptible to damage from aster yellows. Japanese beetles, caterpillars, slugs and snails that are known to chew on the foliage. 

 

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.   

More information on Canna.

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See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Endeavor'
  • Erebus
  • 'Panache'
  • 'Ra'
  • 'Taney'
'Endeavor', Erebus , 'Panache', 'Ra', 'Taney'
Tags:
#bulb#water garden#rain garden#fall flowers#colorful leaves#fall interest#tropical perennials#summer flowers#tropical feel#perennial
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Endeavor'
  • Erebus
  • 'Panache'
  • 'Ra'
  • 'Taney'
'Endeavor', Erebus , 'Panache', 'Ra', 'Taney'
Tags:
#bulb#water garden#rain garden#fall flowers#colorful leaves#fall interest#tropical perennials#summer flowers#tropical feel#perennial
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Canna
    Species:
    glauca
    Family:
    Cannaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Its roots have been harvested to make an edible starch.
    Life Cycle:
    Bulb
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Root Cutting
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    South Carolina to tropical America
    Wildlife Value:
    Attracts butterflies and is a larval host for the Brazilian Skipper.
    Bulb Storage:
    Store in a dry medium such as peat or vermiculite in a cool dry location that does not get below 40 degrees F over the winter.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Perennial
    Water Plant
    Habit/Form:
    Clumping
    Erect
    Maintenance:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Wet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Green
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Prickly 3-parted capsule
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Orange
    Pink
    Red/Burgundy
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Raceme
    Spike
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Lipped
    Flower Petals:
    2-3 rays/petals
    Colored Sepals
    Flower Size:
    3-6 inches
    Flower Description:
    Gladiolus-like flower spikes that bloom in late summer through early fall. Flower colors include red, salmon pink, yellow, and burnt orange. What appears to be petals are actually petaloid stamens.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Sheath
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Rosulate
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Lanceolate
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Large, narrow, blue-green, paddle-shaped leaves that are very colorful and provide ornamental interest when not in flower. They clasp the center stem and resemble a banana plant.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Tall, erect stem supporting colorful flowers.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Pond
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Rain Garden
    Water Garden
    Design Feature:
    Mass Planting
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Wet Soil