Bees LOVE them.
First set of flowers.
Canna seeds in a pod.
I'm going to plant these and see what happens. Some say months others say years until a bloom from seed. Seven seeds total from one segmented pod. (These never sprouted for me.)
Here is briefly what I think I know on Canna...
- if you grow BANANAS you can grow Canna, same care
- fertilize monthly for best flowering... no fertilizer, no blooms
- keep moist to keep blooms coming
- they love it HOT
- need full sun for best flowering
- trim dead leaves as needed, watch this video on how to trim dead leaves
- dead flowers are best removed, watch this video on how to trim off the flowers
- if dead flowers are not removed the plant attempts to set seed and puts all its energy into seeds instead of flowering again from another stalk (not all varieties set viable seed)
- if you want lots more flowers, after all stalk flowers are dead, cut the entire shoot including leaves just above the ground (just as you would a banana after harvesting)
- for best results divide rhizomes yearly, pictures here
- plant the rhizome in with its "eyes" facing up (eyes are nodules where new growth will sprout), 4 to 6 inches deep, spaced 1 to 2 feet apart
- if treated right, cannas can flower year round in no-frost areas
- winter hardy zones 7 to 10 (foliage will die back with frost then regrow)
- caterpillar damage to leaves can be controlled organically with BT Bacillus Thuringiensis
Fact sheet here: http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/
