Cana Lilly question

[Lammie]

Is there any way to make my canas look any better? The flowers are all dried and brown. If it were any other flower, I would pinch off the dead bloom and allow for new ones, but I have tried that and it looks strange. Any suggestions? I love my Cana Lillies and I would like them to continue to bloom. I water them every other day and they are in almost full sun one side of the house and afternoon sun on the other.

 

[Horticattleman]

Cut em back inside the leaf oval. Try not to get water on the leaves this time of the year. I'm suprised you didn't say "man the catepillars ar eating them up!" Thats usually the case. Would hurt to spray them preventatively now.

 

[Lammie]

I will try that. Grasshoppers have been getting at them, too, I think. Any suggestions for that?

I cut out a mess of web worms from the sycamore tree. I didn't see any more. Burned 'em. We always had them in the pecan trees at my folks'. They used to have a man come out every year and spray.

 

[msscamp]

Canna's are tropical plants, so you might want to think about watering them every day - that's what I did when I lived in Georgia, and they were beautiful. They need lots of humus in the soil - composted cow manure, egg shells, vegetable debris, etc. They are also no different than most flowering plants in that the dead blooms can be pinched off. What color are your's? I hope this helps.

 

[Lammie]

Canna's are tropical plants, so you might want to think about watering them every day - that's what I did when I lived in Georgia, and they were beautiful. They need lots of humus in the soil - composted cow manure, egg shells, vegetable debris, etc. They are also no different than most flowering plants in that the dead blooms can be pinched off. What color are your's? I hope this helps.

I have yellow ones and red ones. The yellow ones are taller than the eaves of the house right now. They are normally pretty good about water around here, as they have survived two previous years of drought. But I have been watering every day because it has started to dry out. I think that Erin is going to give me some help in that department here shortly. I think that the grasshoppers are nibbling on them right now. They came late in the season, but they are here.

I think that Canas are an old fashioned plant, as you never see them around new construction around here, and I don't know why. They are pretty low maintenance, they love the sun, the are beautiful and they come back every year. They are a major part of my beds where I have sun. To me, they say Old South!

Thanks

 

[msscamp]

Canna's are tropical plants, so you might want to think about watering them every day - that's what I did when I lived in Georgia, and they were beautiful. They need lots of humus in the soil - composted cow manure, egg shells, vegetable debris, etc. They are also no different than most flowering plants in that the dead blooms can be pinched off. What color are your's? I hope this helps.

I have yellow ones and red ones. The yellow ones are taller than the eaves of the house right now. They are normally pretty good about water around here, as they have survived two previous years of drought. But I have been watering every day because it has started to dry out. I think that Erin is going to give me some help in that department here shortly. I think that the grasshoppers are nibbling on them right now. They came late in the season, but they are here.

I think that Canas are an old fashioned plant, as you never see them around new construction around here, and I don't know why. They are pretty low maintenance, they love the sun, the are beautiful and they come back every year. They are a major part of my beds where I have sun. To me, they say Old South!

Thanks

I'll bet they are beautiful, and I sure hope Erin gives you some relief from the drought. Yes, they are a very spectacular species, and I tend to suspect that the reason you don't see them around new construction is that they are labeled as a tender plant that need to be dug each fall. I never had a problem with them dying to winterkill, but maybe that is the exception. I don't honestly know.

 

[Lammie]

We never do a thing to our's. They die off in winter and they come back in spring. I didn't even know they were tropical until I looked them up on the web. We always had them growing up. They are the foundation plant in our beds, and everything is planted around them. They can be quite stunning in early summer. They always start looking ratty around this time of year, though. :roll:

We had an extraordinarily wet summer around here. It has really just started to dry out in the past few weeks. I am just now having to water on a daily basis. I don't think we will see much rain from Erin, but maybe... I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Australian Cattleman]

i grow them in our cool area that gets frost and sleet. Some years are better than others. Depends on whether they get off to any early start if the cool weather goes early. We only have a shorter growing season than down in the subtropical areas. Water them lots and they should be ok.