Wake Up, Cannas, Wake Up!!

Master Gardener Sally is sorting canna tubers which were saved in peat moss in the styrofoam container over the winter. 

Wake them up early and get a head start on summer. It’s easy to do.  This simple head start will afford you weeks of color from your bulbs in the summer garden.   

We are potting them up now (4-6 weeks prior to local last frost date) to have them ready to transplant into large containers when the weather is right.

From what looks like the above photo, Sally will eventually have something that looks like this. 

Here's how.....

Place the tubers in a warm window that receives 6-8 hours sunlight. Water the pot when top 1 inch of soil dries out.  Never let the soil dry out completely or become soggy.

Transplant the canna into the container or the garden after the last average spring frost date (April 15 in this area) and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 49 degrees. 

Tropicanna and Tropicanna Gold Cannas

Those dried dead-looking tubers flower continually all summer giving you beautiful color from both from the flower and the foliage. Cannas are now available in dwarf sizes, tropical colors and rich dark contrasting leaf colors that add interest. Need 6-8 hours of sunlight to flower their best. Great for containers as well.  

 

A Cluster of Containers Using CANNAS as the ‘THRILLER’.

                               A long lasting WOW-Effect.

Submitted by Master Gardeners Fairie Gardener & SallyE.