Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Tropicana Black Canna

Group/Class:  Tropicanna Series

Description:

An extraordinary variety with foliage that is a magnificent combination of dark purple and black shades; crowned with dazzling scarlet-orange blooms from spring to fall; excellent display when massed along borders, or as a garden accent

Ornamental Features

Tropicanna Black Canna features bold spikes of scarlet flag-like flowers with orange overtones at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall. Its attractive enormous glossy pointy leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning deep purple in color with showy black variegation and tinges of coppery-bronze throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Tropicanna Black Canna is an herbaceous tropical plant with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its wonderfully bold, coarse texture can be very effective in a balanced garden composition.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Tropicanna Black Canna is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, it can grow to be around 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Tropicanna Black Canna is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --