First Time Canna Planting in Zone 6/7

This is my first time planting cannas. I've been going through the forum to look for information, but I still have some questions. I have four red wine cannas that I would like to plant. Three will be going into the ground, one will go into a planter.

Since I am in a cooler area, I'm wondering if I should start the cannas inside and move them out after the last frost? If I begin them inside, do they need a heat mat and lights? These are bulbs (tubers?). I am assuming that they will bloom the first year.

I also read conflicting information about fertilizing them. Are they heavy feeders? Does too much fertilizer cause alot of leave, and few blooms?

penne, get them in pots and do put out after last frost. They don't like cold. I just put mine in the garage, because there isn't enough room in the house. I put them against the house wall(a little warmer). This time of year the temps there are mid 30s to upper 60s. Yes, they will bloom this year. I'm not sure, but you MAY need to dig up at end of year and store over winter. I just use a compost tea to fetilize. I didn't feed last year at all, but had them in a new lasagna bed. Good luck.

Do you have any pictures of your cannas from last year. I'm looking for pictures of the bed, not the individual cannas. I'm still trying to plan how this going to look in the garden.

penne--which cannas did you buy?

Tabasco,

I got the red wine cannas in the picture. They are potted in my plant room along with all my other seedlings. I'm thinking that mid May, I will put them in the garden. I'm still trying to figure out that best way to layout my island. I know that I will have some coreopsis, purple, and white coneflowers, and a striped misthcanthus, and now I'm adding a large purple ornamental grass called pennisetum Princess. This should be a very interesting island. Basicly, everything that is there now needs to be divided or moved since I doubled the size of the island.

First time cannas need advise. I also started cannas in the livingroom last week. Zone 6a
Ihave been watering them and hope that's the right thing to do. Average temps in that room in a big window run 60-70 duering the day and 60 at night. Also planted caladiums 10 days ago ,no sign of life from either.

Hi, ge1836-- welcome to DG, by the way!

Penne--your cannas are so pretty! The hummingbirds will go right for them, I bet!

I've been researching potting up cannas myself. I know they need warmth and moisture, so maybe yours aren't quite as warm as they like to be. Some recommend setting them on a heat mat or maybe they just need a little more time. Somewhere I read that if the tubers were good to begin with (not rotted, mouldy or dried out) you should see cannas from all your starts.

Old House Gardens has a nice write up on how to grow Cannas: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/CannaHistoryAndCare.asp

I also read cautions not to plant Cannas out into the garden until the soil is definitely 60 degrees or there is a good chance they will languish and rot....mmmm...I wonder when that is...

Welcome ge1836. If you bought established plants from a nursery, or such, water as needed. If you just bought the tubers, don't need to water to much, I would guess. I don't just to be on the safe side. I certainly don't let them get dry at all. Our last frost date fluctuates so much here(snow in May and June!) that I have to be a bit careful. I use May 15 as the last frost guide(per the professionals) but can be 2 weeks either side. I would put out a week or two after your last frost, a bit like unprotected peppers and tom's. They need that warmer ground down where the roots are going, not what the temp is on the surface. It's a big diiference here in Colorados front range(east side of mountains). They are tough plants, and relatively easy to grow, just need warmth, food and water. Best of luck.

I am near Lake Ontario in New York state and we have May15 th as last frost but there have been suprises as you know. I will be patient a bit longer as I planted tubers.
We generally plant annuals and that sort of thing on Memorial Day the last week of May. The winters are so horrible here that the urge to get our hands dirty starts in March when the tulips just peek out of the ground. Thanks for your help. I'll look in again with other questions as they arrise.

Do I wait until the rhizomes are breaking through the soil to set them out in the garden or should I move them regardless after the last frost date?

Penne---They say NOT to put them in the garden until the soil is 60 degrees.

This may be some days after the last frost date. I would leave them in your pots until then--at least that is what I'm going to do...

60 degree soil? That seems to be a little high, as long as you are not getting freezes, they should be fine. They are planted rather shallow so if you are planting in a sunny spot, the sun will warm the soil very quickly. My cannas are about a foot tall now. We got down to 34 night before last and the cannas did not even notice... I am sure it was a very short time. Temps here in the day are very hot already.. 80's and up to 92 one day.. going to be in the 90's next week. Here is a pic of my canna bed last year.. it is the front corner of my back yard.

here is a pic of that same bed a few months earlier.. they do grow fast. this was May 15th last year.

Tammie

... and here they are 1 month later... you can really tell how fast they grow comparing the two pictures.,

Llasa--very pretty canna garden! You are so lucky to have such a good climate for growing them!

A thought on the recommendation on the Old House website--the 60 degree soil tip is generally for northern gardens--better growth rate. Less rot.

Here's an interesting page about Canna planting and care--(I think this fellow has a northern garden)

http://cps-www.bu.edu/paul/house/canna.html

I still have to start some of mine from the co-op and I see he uses a flat tray and puts 3 inches of sand in it to start the tubers. Sounds do-able. Better than making up big pots and using up all my potting soil!

Today was the big day for moving the cannas into the garden. Hurray! I can't wait to see the first bloom.

I just found some of my canna rhizomes (?) from the co-op in my watering can. I guess I can plant them too. I've got some coming up in my containers outside...

You are jumping right into springtime, penne, with your planting! We've had lots of rain this week...Do you have a lot of flowers blooming now?

Any butterflies?

Tabasco,

I have tons of flowers to plant that I started from seed, but not many blooms yet. Some of the marigolds, and a few zinnias are blooming, but that is it for now. Meantime, everything is green and bushy. It should look really good in a couple of weeks.