PlantSowGrow
How to grow Canna (Lucifer)
Canna 'Lucifer'
Bold, paddle-shaped leaves and red, yellow-edged flowers from July to the frosts — instant tropical drama in a sunny border or big pot.
At a glance: Sow late April to late May.
When to sow, plant and harvest
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Canna (Lucifer): what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water generously in dry weather once growing
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 45 cm
- Height
- 60–90 cm
- In pots
- Grows well in containers
- Feeding
- High-potash liquid feed weekly from midsummer
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 7–11
Step by step
- Late April – late May · 2 weeks after the last spring frost
Plant Outdoors
Plant 10–15 cm deep, 45 cm apart, in rich soil in full sun once frosts are over.
- 14–28 days after “Start Rhizomes in Pots” · Mid May – late May
Look for Shoots
Shoots should be up. Water more as the leaves unfurl and keep slugs off young growth.
- 60–100 days after “Plant Out” · Mid July – late August
First Flowers — Deadhead Regularly
Cut faded flowers (and flowers for vases) to keep new buds coming. Take a photo for your journal!
Every year
- MarchStart Them Off Again
Check stored tubers/corms, discard any soft ones and pot them up (or plant out once frosts are over).
- NovemberLift and Store
After the first frost blackens the leaves, cut stems to 10 cm, lift, dry off upside down, and store in dry compost somewhere frost-free.
