Canna indica
Indian shot
An erect perennial to around 2m tall with ovate, dark green leaves often flushed bronze. Racemes of small red or dark orange flowers with some yellow on the lip are borne from midsummer into early autumn
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Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
Spring | Bronze Green | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer | Orange Red | Bronze Green | ||
Autumn | Orange Red | Bronze Green | ||
Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H3Botanical details
- Family
- Cannaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Genus
Canna are rhizomatous herbaceous perennials with erect stems bearing ovate leaves, with showy flowers with showy petal-like staminodes and small, coloured petals and sepals, borne in racemes or panicles in summer and autumn
- Name status
Correct
- Plant range
- Neotropics
How to grow
Cultivation
As a patio plant grow in pots of peat-free compost in a sheltered site in full sun. Plants can also be planted into a sunny border. Water freely and apply a high potassium feed every 2-3 weeks in the growing season. Lift the rhizomes in autumn when frost blackens the foliage. Store over winter in barely moist compost in frost-free conditions. See canna cultivation for further information
Propagation
Propagate by seed (sown indoors) or propagate by division of rhizomes in spring
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Coastal
- Cottage and informal garden
- Patio and container plants
- Architectural
- Sub-tropical
- Flower borders and beds
- Conservatory and greenhouse
Pruning
Leave to die back in autumn, deadhead flowers to prolong flowering
Pests
May be susceptible to caterpillars, glasshouse red spider mite and aphids
Diseases
May be susceptible to canna viruses
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