Contrary to the shade-loving Hostas featured in our previous newsletter, Cannas thrive in the hot sun, as long as you keep the root system very moist.  There are about 50 species of this robust perennial and all are native to tropical and South America.  Amazingly, bananas and ginger belong to the same family as Cannas. 

The garden Cannas are all hybrids with broader petals than the wild species.  The early hybrids had smooth petals in single colors while the later, newer hybrids had larger flowers with a striking variegation of color.  Nowadays, we have colors from the common reds, oranges and yellow to apricots, creams and pinks.  The leaves are usually green, but can also be bronze or purple and, in some cases, even white or yellow striped.

Cannas are basically divided into two groups:

Regular Cannas grow from 2 feet to 6 and 8 feet tall and do very well as a back drop planting.  Some of our most popular regular varieties are shown below.

Red King Humbert	Apricot Frost	Pink Beauty
Dark red with dark bronze foliage	Salmon pink with green foliage	Pale pink with green foliage

Dwarf Cannas stay between 1 and 2 feet tall and can be very successfully grown in containers on a patio, balcony or around the swimming pool or back deck.

Pink Futurity	Lucifer	Angel Pink
Pink with bronze foliage; ht 2-3'	Flamed red-orange with golden yellow border and green foliage with red edge; ht 2'	Apricot-peach with yellow throat and green foliage; ht 2'

Cannas can flower from early Summer to mid Autumn and deadheading is recommended to promote continuous flowering.  They strive outdoors in a frost-free, warm climate, but can be grown in colder climates if you protect them with a thick layer of mulch in winter.  In those colder climates, you might also want to dig them and store until Spring.  When growing in containers, be sure take them inside during winter into a frost-free environment.

Finally, Cannas can be easily divided in the Spring by cutting the rhizome into sections, ensuring that each has a well-defined eye.  Take some time to browse our Canna selection and reserve your favorites early!  Remember, your credit card will not be charged until your order is shipped!

We really have enjoyed getting your pictures for our contest...we are looking forward to seeing some wonderful photos of your gardens this upcoming Spring!

Be careful to not touch any part of the bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils, that have come above the ground when they are frozen.  Let Mother Nature take care of the plant and usually there is no harm done.  When they are taller and sometimes bent over in the morning, they should be straight again by lunch time.  Sometimes, however, heavy flowers can cause the stems to crack and they can then be best enjoyed by cutting the stems (when they are thawed) and placing them in a vase indoors!

If your tip is being used in our newsletter, you will receive a $10.00 gift certificate also redeemable for any items in our catalogs!  Email us your tip today!

Canna Lenape	Dahlia Alpen Wonder	Daylily Georgette Belden

For Spring, all orders over $50.00 receive 2 FREE Cannas, orders over $100.00 receive 2 FREE Cannas and 1 FREE Daylily of our choice and, when you sign our guestbook, you will get a 10% discount on your first online order.  Remember to order early to ensure availability!

If you need or want a copy of our Spring catalog mailed to you, send us an email at info@touchofnature.com with your address and we will be happy to send it to you!