A favorite for their beautiful rounded leaves and brightly colored flowers, these herbaceous perennials brighten many summer gardens.

The canna is a member of a genus of about 50 species and a native of North and South America as well as Asia. There are many hybrids.

They are used in beds and borders, in large pots, and in bog gardens and ponds. They grow as perennials in zones 8 - 11 and as annuals in colder climates. They usually grow four to twelve feet high in clumps.

They need fertile soil and full sun. Water freely in the summer.

They will bloom from spring to fall in warm areas. Deadhead the flowers to promote more blooms.

Where they are not hardy you can lift the rhizomes out for winter storage after an autumn frost blackens the foliage. Remove the stems and leaves. Store in barely moist peat or leaf mold above freezing.

Propagation is by division in the spring. You can also sow the seeds indoors about three months before warm weather.

All photos by Linda Anthony from Granite Falls, in Washington State.