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Canna -- An Old Garden Favorite Returns to Popularity

© Diana Pederson

One of my memories from my elementary school years is the city park located immediately behind our house. I loved to weave my way through the bushes between our back fence and the lovely circle of flowers in the center of the park. Later I learned that these bright red flowers were called “ Cannas ”. This was back in the 1950’s when Cannas were popular with all gardeners. As with all garden trends, Cannas fell out of favor for many years but is now becoming popular again.

Ian Cooke’s book, The Gardener’s Guide to Cannas, published by Timber Press in 2001 will surely encourage even reluctant gardeners to add these old-fashioned flowers to their gardens once again. This well written and colorfully illustrated book provides all the information needed to grow these plants successfully in any climate zone.

One of the first surprises for me as a result of reading this book was learning that South Americans have eaten one species of Canna root for over 5,000 years. The root is baked and used as a flour source for noodle production. The species eaten, Canna indica (also called Canna ‘Edulis’), must be grown in moist soils. It succeeds at lower altitudes where cassava and other starch crops are not as productive. Oh, by the way, it does have lovely orange flowers although these are not considered important by the farmers who raise this crop.

Cannas are tropical plants that, according to Cooke, grow continuously. They only go dormant when their water supply runs out or when the weather is too cold (in northern climates). Their ability to go dormant means they can be dug up and stored over the winter in cooler climates. I took note of the fact that Cannas need double dug flower beds if possible to insure good drainage. They also thrive with heavy applications of compost, manure and other organic mulches which slowly break down, providing the plant with needed nutrients.

This book provides additional cultural information that should enable every gardener to succeed with these wonderful plants. I was totally surprised to learn that they can grow in shallow water, making them ideal poolside plants. As I finished reviewing the chapter on cultivation, I was startled to learn that Cannas are frequently attacked by slugs and snails. Somehow, I thought their rather robust leaves would make them less vulnerable to these pests. The author mentions the need to keeping slug bait scattered around the plants especially when they first emerge for the season.

Cannas

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