Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Edible Canna, syn. Canna edulis

Description:

This variety of canna originating from South America has edible rhizomes, lower stems, and flowers; very fast growing, tall stems support large green leaves with coppery edges; orange-red flowers in fall; excellent for the back of borders

Ornamental Features

Achira Canna features bold spikes of orange flag-like flowers at the ends of the stems from late summer to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive scarlet flower buds. Its enormous pointy leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning green in color with distinctive coppery-bronze edges throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Achira 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 is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. 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

Achira 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 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. 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 species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Achira 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.

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