Canna (Canna 'Australia')
Canna 'Australia' is a dramatic, low-maintenance Canna cultivar featuring burgundy-black foliage and bright red summer blooms.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Canna ‘Australia’ stands out dramatically in the garden due to its intense, dark foliage, making it a striking focal point even when not in bloom. This popular cultivar of Canna provides tropical flair with its large, paddle-shaped leaves that emerge deep burgundy-black, holding their color well throughout the warm season. Ideal for bedding displays or large containers, this plant offers considerable ornamental interest from summer well into fall.
As a rhizomatous, tropical perennial, the requirements for Canna ‘Australia’ center around providing ample sunshine and consistent moisture. It offers the aesthetic exuberance of a tropical specimen while retaining a relatively low maintenance profile once established in suitable climates. Gardeners often choose this Canna for its ability to create bold texture and color contrast against greener garden companions.
The bright red flowers of Canna ‘Australia’ provide a vibrant contrast to the deep foliage, attracting local hummingbirds while ensuring the plant remains a highly visible specimen. For those in cooler zones, the simple process of lifting the rhizomes ensures this stunning Canna can be enjoyed season after season, adding reliable vertical structure.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Cannaceae
- Plant Type: Bulb
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 7-10
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 4-5 ft
- Spread: 1.5-2 ft
- Bloom Time: July to September
- Bloom Description: Red
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
For optimal results, plant Canna rhizomes in the spring only after all danger of frost has passed. Canna ‘Australia’ thrives when placed in full sun and requires organically rich, moist, well-drained soils. Ensure proper spacing, setting the rhizomes 4 to 6 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches apart to allow for mature spread.
Watering should be consistent; maintain a medium moisture level, keeping the soil evenly moist but avoiding overly soggy conditions, which can lead to rhizome rot. Maintenance is generally low during the growing season. Deadhead by removing entire spent flowering stems immediately after blooms fade to encourage continuous flowering until September.
In the fall, after the first frost has blackened the foliage, cut the Canna stems down to the ground. If growing outside the reliable zones of 7 through 10, the rhizomes must be lifted. Store the clumps in a cool, dry location (above 40°F) packed in a dry medium like peat or vermiculite, occasionally misting lightly to prevent the rhizomes from drying out completely.
Propagation of your Canna ‘Australia’ is best achieved in the spring by dividing the rhizomes before you replant them outdoors. This division process also helps keep the clumps vigorous and prevents overcrowding, ensuring the best performance from this eye-catching Canna.
Landscape Uses
The dramatic stature and intense coloring of Canna ‘Australia’ make it invaluable for creating vertical accents and tropical themes within the landscape. It excels when grouped or massed effectively within garden beds and borders, providing excellent background structure. When backlit by the afternoon sun, the burgundy-black leaves of this Canna become particularly impressive, adding depth and shadow play.
These magnificent plants work well planted alongside both annual displays and taller perennials, adding contrast through their broad, dark foliage. They are also perfectly suited for use in large containers, where they can act as bold “thrillers” anchoring mixed plantings. Utilizing Canna ‘Australia’ near foundations can add immediate, lush, tropical appeal to home exteriors.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Canna is a genus of around 10 species of rhizomatous, tropical and subtropical, herbaceous perennials that produce flower spikes from summer into early fall atop erect stems sheathed in large paddle-shaped leaves. Cultivars are available with colorful foliage and flowers in a range of warm colors including red, orange, yellow, pink, and creamy white. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds.Genus name comes from the Greek word kanna meaning “reed”.‘Australia’ is a popular purple-leaved cultivar that grows 4-5’ tall. It features burgundy-black leaves (to 10-20” long) that hold the foliage color well through summer. Bright red flowers (to 3” across) appear in racemes atop burgundy-black stems from mid-summer to fall. Dramatic foliage provides considerable ornamental interest when the plants are not in flower.
Tolerances
- Watch for aster yellows.
Potential Problems
The primary cultural issue for Canna growers involves rhizome rot, which almost always occurs due to overly wet or poorly drained soils, especially during overwintering or in heavy clay. Always amend soil heavily or grow in containers to ensure sharp drainage. Fungal and bacterial issues, such as leaf spots and bacterial blight, can appear, particularly in humid conditions.
Pest management focuses mainly on foliage feeders. Inspect leaves regularly for signs of Japanese beetles, caterpillars, or slugs and snails, which can consume large amounts of leaf tissue quickly. Early detection of pests allows for prompt, targeted treatment, minimizing damage to the impressive foliage of Canna ‘Australia’.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Canna suitable for?
Canna ‘Australia’ is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 7 through 10, allowing it to be grown as a perennial in these regions.
How large does Canna grow?
This specific Canna cultivar generally reaches a mature height between 4 and 5 feet, with a spread of 1.5 to 2 feet wide.
What sun exposure does Canna ‘Australia’ need?
This impressive tropical must be situated where it receives full sun exposure for the best foliage color and flowering performance.
When does Canna bloom?
You can expect the striking red flowers of Canna ‘Australia’ to appear consistently from mid-summer through September.
Conclusion
Canna ‘Australia’ offers unmatched tropical drama through its combination of burgundy-black foliage and vivid red flowers, requiring relatively low maintenance for such a high visual impact. By ensuring excellent drainage and providing full sun, gardeners in zones 7-10 can enjoy this superb Canna specimen year after year. Check your local frost dates and plan to lift the rhizomes if you live outside the minimum zone requirements for successful overwintering.
Companion Planting
When designing beds featuring Canna ‘Australia’, select companions that complement its bold, dark vertical structure. Plants with chartreuse or silvery foliage create exceptional contrast against the burgundy-black leaves. Consider pairing it with ‘Sum and Substance’ Hostas (if light constraints allow) or various light-colored annuals like white petunias or silvery Dusty Miller.
Since Canna requires medium water and rich soil, pair it with other thirsty, heavy-feeding annuals and perennials. Caladiums, elephant ears (Colocasia), or tropical hibiscus share similar cultural preferences, allowing for unified watering schedules and soil amendments in large displays or containers housing this dramatic Canna.
Design Ideas for Tropical Impact
The 4-to-5-foot height of Canna ‘Australia’ makes it perfect for structuring the middle or rear layers of a mixed border. Use it to create a strong vertical line against fencing or walls where its leaves can catch the late-day sun, enhancing their dark tones. Its strong architectural presence means fewer plants are needed to make a significant visual statement.
For container design, utilize Canna ‘Australia’ as the central thriller element. Surround it with cascading, shorter plants that spill over the edges, such as sweet potato vine or trailing verbena. This provides instant, season-long impact suitable for patios or entryways where a bold, low-maintenance tropical look is desired.
