Perennial · North Texas care guide
Canna × generalis
Nursery Pro tip: Tropical look that comes back every year here. Cut leaf-roller damage off and it regrows in two weeks. Divide every 3 years.
Big tropical paddle leaves — green, bronze or striped — under spikes of red, orange, yellow or pink flowers all summer. 3–5 ft, fast, and it makes a sunny bed look like the Gulf Coast by July. Rhizomes are reliably hardy here.
Full sun and moist, rich soil. It thrives in the wet spot, along a pond, or in a bed you water regularly. Space 18–24 in apart. Also excellent in a large pot with a saucer.
Spring, once the soil warms. Rhizomes go 3–4 in deep, eyes up; potted plants at the depth they grew. Compost-rich soil, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Heavily and often — two or three times a week in summer. Cannas are one of the few plants you can genuinely overwater only with difficulty.
A spring feeding and again in midsummer; they're hungry.
Cut each flower stalk at its base as it finishes and the clump keeps producing. Cut the whole planting to the ground after frost. Divide crowded clumps every three years in spring.
Canna leaf roller ties the new leaves shut — the main pest here; treat with Bt or spinosad as leaves emerge, or cut off affected growth. Rust and leaf spot in crowded plantings. They spread, so give them an edge or a bed of their own.
Tropical beds with hardy hibiscus, esperanza and elephant ears; wet areas with Louisiana iris.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.