Canna Lily

I love the look of a bold and exotic canna lily, with its strong stems and rich banana-like leafiness. In our lanai, we have two canna lilies that anchor the back row. It will be interesting to see how tall these grow. I hear that in their natural habitat, some canna lilies can be 7-15ft high, although often can be far shorter.

The canna lily also sounds voracious for organic material and can look "ugly" if it doesn't get nutrients. Will keep an eye on that.

Facts and Trivia
Very popular during Victorian era.

Like ginger, propagate by rhizomes.

Native to North and South America. Natively, they like river and lake banks, in shade and moist environments. In gardens, they can take sunnier and drier environments well.

Rhizomes high in starch and have been used in other cultures for food.

Cannas not brought to Europe until after Columbus, obviously. Widely popular in mid to late 1800s (Victorian).

Fell out of fashion during world wars.

Slow spread occurs via rhizomes.

References:
Growing Canna Lilies in Your Garden.

My notes:
11/14/2020: Thus far, the canna lilies look strong. I do see some browning of leaves and one leaf looks to have been a food source for some bugs. Will keep an eye on it. No drooping noticeable. Flower petals constantly drop off, as new ones seem to fill in behind them.

Note: Here is a reference for fighting pests on Canna Lily.

11/7/2020: Planted in lanai by Jacob and Shonene.