Uncanny Cannas

I was doing a little research on my canna lilies and ran across a great Planting Guide description for them: If wearing bright colors makes you uncomfortable, cannas may not be for you. If, however, you like mixing bright pink tops with teal bottoms, these plants are going to provide many seasons of fun. 

Yep, it's true. The cannas in my garden are dayglow colors, but I still love them ... the blooms, that is. The stalks and overgrown leaves I could take or leave, but the blooms are definitely lovely enough to lay claim to every year. 

Canna lilies have a bit of a diva in them. They like well-drained soil, sunny spots and plenty of water. Well, what plant doesn't, eh? 

According to Wikipedia, Most Canna cultivars have been developed in temperate climates and are easy to grow in most countries of the world as long as they can enjoy about 6 hours average sunlight during the summer, even though they're a tropical plant. Cannas are perennial, and grow from a rhizomatous rootstock (like a bulb). Bees, hummingbirds and bats help to pollinate cannas, probably because they're attracted to the wildly bright colors of the deep blooms. 

You can plant them in your garden, and you'll see them dug deeply into the roadways along North Carolina because they're great for erosion control (and easy to care for). For the most part they're disease-free, but if attacked by fungus then the result is a stunted plant. 

• Have you got any canna lilies growing in your garden?