How to Plant Canna Bulbs

Views: 13899 | Last Update: 2009-05-01
How to Plant Canna Bulbs - Provided by eHow
Canna bulbs are plants that should be planted sideways in a location that receives plenty of sunlight. Plant canna bulbs with tips from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening. View Video Transcript

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Yolanda Vanveen

Video Transcript

Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, from, and we're going to learn how to plant canna bulbs. One of the most beautiful plants in my garden. They're originally from Mexico. Cannas love full, hot sun, and they have just the most gorgeous foliage, and this particular one is called Durban. It's so pretty, but the key is, they've got to be in a sunny spot, and they're easy to grow, and a Canna Lilly, is just like a tuber. It's considered a bulb, because it goes dormant in the winter, at least in colder climates. It doesn't in warmer climates, and as long as that tuber has a shoot, or an eye, or any side of it that still looks fleshy like a potato, it is good, and you can plant it any time of the year. I've planted them, if you live in a climate where they can survive the winter, like we do in the Northwest, we can plant them anytime of the year, and they'll do really well. They won't do well until the next summer, if you plant them in the fall, but they do well eventually. They've got to have a huge set of roots, so when I plant them, you plant them sideways. There's really not an up or down. This one you can see a shoot, so that's going to go up, but really the whole root has got to be planted about three inches deep, for it to do well, and that way, it has room for it to grow, and grab into the dirt. Although cannas are a sun plant, they can do quite a bit of shade too, and I'm always testing them, to see how well they'll do. When planting them, I want to make sure there is at least three inches of dirt above them, and I want to make sure that the soil is good and worked up, around them, so they've got something to grow onto. I've got all these other bulbs, and roots from the tree, through here, so I'm just kind of working my way around them, and I even mix them with spring blooming bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, because then they'll be blooming at different times. I've got some irises right here, and I'm just going to put them in with them at the same time, and what will happen, is that these will bloom in the spring, and the cannas will bloom in the fall, or the summer through the fall, and then I just cover it all up, at least three inches deep. Now, I just planted them sideways, kind of work it's way in a little bit. Water it well, and it's ready to go. Cannas do like full sun, or a hot spot, whether it's shade or in the sun, and if we have a really cold winter, and they're not protected very well, and they don't have good drainage, sometimes you lose them, but they do like anyplace that's sunny, with good drainage, and they'll grow for years and years. The foliage is just dynamite, and they're one of the most rewarding plants in my garden.