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Canna

Canna (Indian shot): tropical summer flower for borders, containers and public planting

Canna (canna lily, Indian shot) is a summer flower from tropical America with large leaves and striking flowers in red, orange, yellow, pink and apricot, often spotted or edged in yellow. Cannas flower from July until the first night frost. The rhizomes are started indoors in spring or planted outdoors after mid-May. Holland Bulb Market supplies canna rhizomes in a wide range of colours, also with bronze or variegated foliage.

Uses

Borders: a tropical look and height at the back of the border, together with dahlias.
Large pots and containers: for patios, balconies and entrances; lower varieties such as Lucifer stay compact.
Public planting: summer beds and parks, for colour from July into autumn.
Retail: rhizomes in consumer packs and pre-grown pot plants for spring sales.

Professional cultivation: pot cannas in the greenhouse

Plant the rhizomes in pots from February to April, about 5 cm deep, and start them in the greenhouse at 18–22 °C. Once they sprout they grow quickly; provide plenty of light, regular water and feeding. Pre-grown plants are sold from May and planted outdoors as soon as the night frosts are over.

Store the rhizomes frost-free and not too dry at 5–10 °C until planting. Read more about professional growing.

Our canna range

Red, orange, yellow, pink, salmon and apricot cannas, spotted varieties and cannas with bronze or variegated foliage, including Apricot Dream, Brilliant, En Avant, Firebird, Indica Red, Louis Cottin, Lucifer, Peach Blush, Picasso, Pink President, Richard Wallace, Rosemond Coles and Stuttgart.

Flowering time by colour group

Colour group	Flowering (NL, outdoors)	Examples
Red	July – first night frost	Brilliant, Firebird
Red with yellow edge	July – first night frost	Lucifer, Rosemond Coles
Yellow and spotted	July – first night frost	Richard Wallace, Picasso
Pink, salmon and apricot	July – first night frost	Pink President, Apricot Dream
Special foliage (bronze, variegated)	July – first night frost	Louis Cottin, Stuttgart

Key facts

Planting season	start indoors February – April; plant outdoors after mid-May
Planting depth	approx. 5–8 cm, 40–60 cm apart
Flowering	July – first night frost
Height	approx. 60–180 cm, depending on variety
Position	full sun, warm and sheltered; rich, moist soil
Storage	frost-free at 5–10 °C
Hardiness	not hardy: lift in autumn and store frost-free

View all cannas in the webshop. Business customers see prices after logging in. Our current catalogues are on the Downloads page. For a quotation, please contact us.