I love the look of cannas but never planted them before. In May I bought some cannas bulbs from a grocery store and planted them in the ground near my water feature. I have terrible clay soil so I was sure to dig a nice deep and long hole and replaced the soil for better drainage prior to planting. I was sure to plant them in the proper depth and spaced them properly and they recieve full sun all day. The box indicated that they would bloom mid to late summer. So far it is an empty patch with some light mulch covering, nothing has poked out of the ground as of yet...should something have come up by now or is it still too early? The directions just stated to water regularly once the plant is established, but nothing about what to do until then. How often should I water the bulbs? I am worried that they will dry out and concerned about overwatering as well.
I hope they come up and bloom, I've been looking forward to seeing these beautiful red cannas near my small waterfall.
I would give them a month, and then dig one up to see what's going on. Although cannas will grow in almost any soil and like a lot of moisture, they do like good drainage. Planting in heavy clay soil can be tricky, because sometimes, when you dig a deep hole, it just turns into a dry well. It can fill with water that drains from other areas of your yard. This can often lead to root rot.
If you do find that your cannas have rotted away, I suggest that you either create slightly raised beds when you plant new ones, or else plant in containers.
If you do find that your cannas have rotted away, I suggest that you either create slightly raised beds when you plant new ones, or else plant in containers.
I was really looking forward to this blooming this summer.