Growing cannas in the desert

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I have to admit that I am constantly amazed at the tropical effect of these cannas. They're only been here a few seasons, but they quickly becoming the "signature" plant of The Tropical Paradise. There are some tricks to growing them, but I think I'm beginning to figure it out.

• They love water and shade. If you have a particularly shady and swampy part of yard, this is where they will thrive. They are practically water plants. If you're one of those gardeners who "kill plants with kindness" by overwatering, your cannas will love you. I deliver the water through a low-pressure drip system, which water the roots without wasting any water. The area that they sit in is wet, the path in front is dry. This takes a little finesse with the sprayer heads, but you don't want water to come on suddenly and spray the person sitting in that chair!

• You have to be brave and be able to cut them down viciously. To keep that beautiful young leaf shape, you have to cut down the old stalks. I did quite a few today. Don't worry, they will grow back! The flowers only last for a couple of days and then look ratty, so that's when it's time to cut the stalk back as far as you can reach.

• You have to have access. This year I made sure to have plenty of access from all sides. I can now get behind the plants and trim from there. If you let them grow up against the wall, they will get out of control.

Three months ago
By the way, these are Canna Tropicannas. I got them at Easy to Grow Bulbs, but you can now get that at any Home Depot or Lowe's. I've even seen them at Walmart. Don't worry if the leaves look ratty, as long as the plant is healthy, it will grow back, very strong!

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