Cannas

Cannas have been a favorite of mine for many years and it would be hard to imagine a plant requiring less care. Just remember to give them plenty of sun and water.

These beauties are closely related to the gingers and bananas and should explain where the exotic tropical foliage comes from.

One only has to view the foliage in order to confirm its’ relationship especially to the banana family.

Color choices are numerous with:

• red
• orange
• peach
• salmon
• pink
• yellow

Many new varieties have been introduced during the past several decades and I would have to agree that some of them are outstanding.

Breeders have managed to develop Canna foliage that, in my opinion, rivals that of the plants flowers.

Several introductions with outstanding leaves are as follows:

• Pretoria with green and yellow variegated foliage is a nice addition to anyone’s garden.
  
  
• Striped Beauty displays green and white leaves that will certainly brighten up your flower bed.
  
  
• For an extra special treat you have to give Tropicana a try as the leaf colors are superb with the main leaf surface being purple with variegations of pink, red and green.
  
  

In zone 6B I have found it not a necessity to dig up my rhizomes in the fall for winter storage but should you live in colder zones to the north you certainly will be required to dig up and protect them from freezing temperatures.