yes, Jeff, if you remove not only the old flower stalsk but remove the entire stalk at ground level once it has "flowered out" - it will continue to send up new stalks till frost as well as look better. The leaves on the old bloomed out stalks tend to fade and look bad anyhow.

lots of water and fert helps too!

good luck to you

Boca Joe

"yes, Jeff, if you remove not only the old flower stalsk but remove the entire stalk at ground level once it has "flowered out" - it will continue to send up new stalks till frost as well as look better. The leaves on the old bloomed out stalks tend to fade and look bad anyhow."

My cannas are in 16 24" pots along the edges of my yard. They're in full sun and after the leaves being split apart by thunderstorm winds and now spent flowers, they are looking pretty shabby. Are you saying that I can take any stalk that is looking bad and hack it off at ground level? Unfortunately in some pots it'll be about all the stalks. Still okay to do that? What if a stalk looks bad and but is still flowering, still okay to hack? It's my first year with them and still trying to learn, Thanks!

I grow almost all of my cannas in big pots, and yes you can cut back any of them. They are so vigorous, they will send up plenty more.
I did just that last summer when the jap beetles at the hell out of the leaves.

I would select the worst ones and as they fill in continue to cut out the bad ones.

check out my canna photos too!
Boca Joe

Here is a link that might be useful: Boca Joe's Photos