I see nothing wrong with planting them now. I assume you're talking about buying some at the nursery and putting them in pots? If they get lots of water and some fertilizer, you should be able to enjoy them the rest of the summer.

They may hang around if you don't have any frost, but once winter arrives my cannas slow down, then after our first frost/freeze they die back. The cannas I have in pots are left there for the winter and to keep them from rotting I just prevent the pots from getting any water.

No, not in pots-in the ground. Not sure if you are in Phx., but things don't tend to do too well here in pots, especially if they get any sun, because the dirt just gets too hot in the summer.

I guess I don't have much to lose!
SG

They should do fine if they get enough water.
You could always mulch around the base to help hold in moisture.

Sharon, your climate is wonderful for cannas. They love the sun and heat and thrive in it. My brother lives in Phoenix and I've sent him many cannas. His does better than mine, but then he's more attentive than I am. I rarely ever water mine and they struggle. He pampers his and they look wonderful. He also grows his in the ground.

Depending on varieties, cannas can grow anywhere from 2 ft to 16 ft. And they come in different bloom colors with different foliage colors. Check out www.cannas.net for some you can order for next year (they're sold out this year).

Your cannas may or may not go dormant. It depends on how cold it gets there. If they go dormant, they won't be that way long in your climate. When we, in zone 7a, have a mild winter, ours go dormant for about 2 months.

Remember the first year you plant them, they may not live up to their full potential. So if they grow to 4 ft this year, they may be 6 ft next year if they are a tall variety.

As stated, they do love water, altho I've found they will tolerate drought. Here in Ark., they're on their own. I water maybe once or twice a month--if I feel like it. And still they grow and multiply. Of course I mulch well, so that helps.

Enjoy the tropical look of cannas. Who can resist them?

NancyAnn

Sharon,

You can plant canna here anytime you want, they can take just about anything, but with too much sun in our summer some do get pretty toasted, that doesn't sound like your case up next to the patio, though. Be careful planting different varieties in together, they will grow together and when teh time comes to divide and trade/share it'll be hard to know which tuber came from which canna.

I've been planting mine in the ground in 5 gallon pots, sink them just lower than the dirt level and mulch heavily. It's a lot easier to keep them moist and more waterwise as well because you're not watering the whole area, just the canna and the depth and mulch help to keep the roots cool. It also makes it very easy to dig and divide and keep tubers separate! Oh, I mix some garden soil with some compost and a little fertilizer in top.

BTW I'm wondering what part of Phoenix you're in that is a zone 8.

Thanks everyone for your help. I was just going to buy some from the local nursery, but started looking at what's available from the site mentioned above, as well as some others I've seen referenced, and now I'm wavering!! Some of them are just so beautiful and I only have room for 2, maybe 3...unless of course I dig some other area out....hmmm. :->

I also have a question: after they bloom, how far do I cut them back? My husband says all the way to the ground, but I'm certain some have bloomed more than once by cutting back by 3 points. HELP PLEASE ??

I'm fairly new to gardening in the Phoenix area. Moved here to Mesa from Massachusetts about 20 months ago. Just started gardening here this past year. Been thinking about putting in some cannas. I absolutely love them, and I used to grow them in Massachusetts, although over there I had to overwinter them in my basement. It's nice to know that I can roll them in the ground year round here, although I might put them in 5-gallon pots and sink those into the ground like desertrubble mentioned.

I surely miss gardening in Massachusetts. My favorite flower to grow over there was daylilies. I had over a thousand different varieties. I brought 12 of them with me when I moved here, and all but two have died. I have tried again this year, keeping them in an area that gets afternoon shade. I wasn't able to get them until late in the spring, so it's been a struggle keeping them alive throughout the summer. I have since potted up more than half of them. They seem to be doing well, and I'm sure they'll start taking off once the weather cools off.

The plants that have done the best for me this year are the sweet potato vines and the vinca. I made a nice bed of them out front in full sun. I also had a tropical hibiscus out there, but that one really struggled, and I had three lavender plants that died, and several yellow marigolds that also perished.

Hoping to grow a banana (or two or three) as well as the cannas in the same bed.

I realize this is many years later, but Phoenix is in zone 9b, not Zone 8. I Appreciate all the helpful information :)