Canna lilies are plants with beautiful bright blooms and unique foliage that can add a tropical look to gardens in almost any region. In hardiness zones 9-12, canna lilies will grow as perennials. However, in cooler locations, canna lilies are grown like annuals, their bulbs dug up every autumn and stored indoors through cold winters. Whether grown permanently in the ground or dug up and replanted each season, age and other factors can reduce the vigor of canna blooms. If you are experiencing no flowers on a canna plant, this article is for you.
Why Won’t My Cannas Bloom?
Canna lilies produce beautiful tropical blooms in bright shades of red, orange, yellow and white. Different varieties of canna may also have very colorful or unique foliage. For example, Tropicanna has stripes of green, red, orange, pink, purple and yellow on their foliage. While many varieties of canna can be enjoyed strictly for their colorful foliage, we usually plant these hoping for an abundance of blooms in addition to the nifty tropical-like leaves. Ideally, canna lilies that are planted each spring as annuals should have adequate time to produce plenty of blooms in a growing season. When grown like this, as annuals, a canna lily not blooming could be a sign that the rhizome was planted too deep. Canna lily rhizomes should be planted no deeper than 2-3 inches (5-7 cm.) deep. Planting canna lily rhizomes too deep can cause the plants to be stunted or have delayed bloom time, or no blooms at all.
What to Do When Your Canna Will Not Flower
Other reasons for a canna lily not blooming are too much shade, drought, overcrowding and nutrient deficiencies. Canna will not flower if it is not getting adequate sunlight. Canna lilies need at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. Canna lilies also require consistently moist soil. The soil must be well draining to prevent rots, but it should still retain moisture. When stressed by drought or inadequate watering, canna lilies will reserve their moisture by sacrificing blooms. This is also the case if canna lilies are not getting enough nutrients. For best blooms, plant cannas in full sun, water regularly and fertilize plants 2-3 times throughout the growing season with a general 10-10-10 fertilizer. The most common reason for no flowers on a canna plant is overcrowding. When grown as perennials, canna lilies will grow and spread very quickly. In time, they can choke themselves out. Canna plants that have to compete for water, nutrients, or sunlight will not bloom. To keep canna plants happy, healthy and full of blooms, divide them every 2-3 years.
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Canna Lily Rot: What Causes Rotting Canna RhizomesCanna flowers grow as a beautiful, long-lasting summer to fall display in the flower bed. In northern areas, they need to be dug and stored over winter for rhizomes to remain alive. But what happens when canna rhizomes are rotting? Learn about canna lily rot here.
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What Is Canna Rust: Learn How To Treat Rust On Canna LeavesAs showy as they are, canna plants are susceptible to a variety of issues, one of which is rust on canna leaves. What is canna rust? Click here for information on canna rust, including canna rust symptoms and tips for treating cannas with rust.
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Canna Mosaic Virus: Dealing With Mosaic On Canna PlantsCannas are beautiful, showy flowering plants. Because they're such all-around winners in the garden, it can be especially devastating to discover your cannas are infected with disease. Learn more about recognizing mosaic virus in cannas and what to do in this article.
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Can I Transplant Cannas: – Learn When To Transplant Canna LiliesIn cool climates, canna bulbs are planted each spring, then dug up in fall, divided and stored away over winter. Even in warmer climates, cannas will need to be dug up and divided every 4-5 years. Learn about dividing and transplanting cannas in this article.
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Common Pests Of Canna Lilies – Tips On Managing Canna Lily PestsCanna lily pests are rare, but their broad sword-like leaves are awfully attractive to a variety of leaf munchers. Click this article for some ideas on insects that attack Canna lily plants and how to recognize and defeat them.
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Canna Lily Deadheading: Tips For Deadheading Canna Lily PlantsWhere other flowers shrivel and wilt, canna lilies thrive in the heat. But how do you ensure that you get the most out of your canna lilies with flowers all summer long? Click this article to learn more about how to deadhead a canna lily.
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Canna Lily Seed Harvesting: Can You Plant Canna Lily SeedsCanna lilies are commonly propagated by dividing their underground rhizomes. But can you plant canna lily seeds too? Click here to get more information.
