Easy ways to take care of your canna bulbs

This vibrant perennial is gorgeous in a yard or on a balcony as they can be grown in-container or out. The canna's bold colours are sure to please but growing them means knowing more about them and this information covers the basics.

• Size: Cannas' arrow-shaped, upright leaves, up to 60 centimetres (two feet) long, can be green, golden or bronze or have multicoloured stripes.
• Colour: Their crowning glory is flamboyant, trumpet-shaped flowers in scarlet, yellow, salmon or orange that appear in midsummer.
• Conditions: Cannas can grow in average garden soil, but because they prefer damp conditions they are ideal for the edge of a pond or poorly drained spots.
• Season: Few perennials can match cannas' endurance in sultry summers.
• Partners: They are striking plants for growing in big containers, combined with petunias, sweet potato vine and other annuals.

Cannas have both showy foliage and exotic flowers. There are a number of types you can buy.  Here are some of the most common:

• Pretoria -- has yellow-and-green striped leaves.
• Tropicana -- with leaves striped in orange-red, peach and green.
• Wyoming -- is famed for its rich bronze foliage.
• Cleopatra -- has unusual red-freckled yellow flowers.
• Chinese Coral -- with peach-coloured blossoms.
• Lucifer -- is orange-red in colour.
• Madame Butterfly -- has a pale yellow flower.

• Cannas thrive in hot weather but cannot tolerate the cold.
• Plant cannas in spring after the last frost has passed.
• Lay the rhizomes on their sides about five centimetres (two inches) below the soil's surface, 30 to 45 centimetres (12 to 18 inches) apart.
• Keep the soil moist until they sprout.

• The roots must be lifted and stored for winter.
• Dig them up after a hard frost has blackened the leaves and shake off any loose soil.
• Cut off old stems and let the rhizomes air-dry in a warm place.
• Pack the rhizomes in paper bags filled with dry peat moss, and store them for the winter at 4°C to 10°C (40°F to 50°F).
• Replant in spring as soon as the weather is settled and mild.
• In warm parts of British Columbia, they may survive winter if heavily mulched.

Occasionally small caterpillars, including canna leaf roller and corn earworms, may chew holes in new leaves before they unfurl, creating a row of perforations when the leaves open. Here's some suggestions:

• Overlook light damage or trim off damaged leaves.
• If the problem is severe, apply the biological insecticide BT(Bacillus thuringiensis)as directed.

Cannas are easy to increase by division. Separate rhizomes in spring before planting. Replant at the same depth at which the rhizomes previously grew. They are vigorous plants and a single rhizome planted in spring will normally spread rapidly to give many rhizomes by fall.

The bright, vibrant colours of the cannas make it appealing to add to your garden. The fact that is virutally care-free makes it even more attractive to gardeners.