Canna (Canna 'Striata')

Overview

Canna ‘Striata’ offers exceptional tropical flair, making it a highlight in any summer garden display. This popular cultivar of Canna is prized less for its summer orange flowers and more for its dramatically variegated foliage, featuring medium green leaves perfectly striped with vibrant yellow veins. When grown in mass, the vertical structure and colorful leaves of Canna provide substantial ornamental interest even when the plant is not actively blooming.

As a rhizomatous perennial often utilized as a summer annual outside of its hardiness range, Canna provides season-long impact. It thrives with consistent moisture and heat, rapidly growing to heights between 4 and 6 feet. Gardeners value the low maintenance needs (Level 2) once established, allowing this bold architectural plant to serve as a superb focal point.

The cultivar ‘Striata’ is synonymous perhaps most famously with ‘Bengal Tiger’ or ‘Pretoria’, confirming its status as a sought-after selection for bold, warm-colored garden designs. Utilizing Canna ‘Striata’ ensures a lush, dense backdrop or an eye-catching specimen plant throughout the peak growing season.

Fast Facts

• Plant Family: Cannaceae
• Plant Type: Bulb
• Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 7-10
• Size at Maturity:
  • Height: 4-6 ft
  • Spread: 1.5-4 ft
• Bloom Time: July to September
• Bloom Description: Orange
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Water Needs: Medium
• Maintenance Level: Low

How to Grow

Planting Canna rhizomes is best done in the spring once all danger of frost has passed. Select a site providing full sun exposure, as insufficient light diminishes the variegation on the leaves of Canna ‘Striata’. Prepare the soil to be moist, organically rich, and ensure excellent drainage, as rhizomes rot quickly in overly wet soil. Proper spacing involves planting the rhizomes 4 to 6 inches deep and about 18 to 24 inches apart to allow the Canna room to spread.

Ongoing care is straightforward. This Canna variety requires medium water needs, so maintain consistent soil moisture, especially during hot, dry spells. As the flowering period progresses from July through September, remove spent flowering stems immediately after the bloom fades to encourage continued performance.

In colder climates, gardeners must prepare for winter. In USDA Zones 7 through 10, the rhizomes are typically reliable, but lifting is a safe preventative measure. After the first frost blackens the foliage, cut the entire plant back to ground level. Dig up the rhizome clumps and store them in a cool, dry area (ideally above 40°F) packed in a dry medium like peat moss or vermiculite.

For propagation, divide the rhizomes in the spring just before you plant them outdoors again. Container-grown plants offer flexibility, as the entire pot can often be moved into winter storage alongside other Canna rhizome clumps.

Landscape Uses

Canna ‘Striata’ is highly effective when utilized in mass plantings within garden beds and borders, providing strong vertical structure that contrasts well with finer-textured perennials. Its striking, upright leaves make it an excellent choice for grounding foundations or adding tropical drama to the corners of the landscape. Because the leaves are so impressive, ensure Canna ‘Striata’ is positioned where it can be backlit by the sun, which dramatically illuminates the yellow striping.

These plants integrate well with both annuals and perennials planted nearby in similar full sun and high moisture conditions. Consider pairing the bold forms of Canna with billowing grasses or finely textured flowering annuals to create dynamic visual tension. Furthermore, their dramatic presence means they are frequently selected as specimens in large containers where they can serve as the “thriller” element in mixed arrangements.

Standout Features

Flower Qualities

• Showy

Noteworthy Characteristics

Canna is a genus of rhizomatous, tropical herbaceous perennials known for producing flower spikes on erect stems wrapped in large paddle-shaped leaves. Cultivars like Canna ‘Striata’ feature spectacular foliage, offering significant ornamental appeal even without blooms. Specifically, ‘Striata’ reaches 4-6 feet tall and showcases medium green leaves marked distinctly by bright yellow-striped veins, complemented by mid-summer orange flowers.

Landscape Uses

• Group or mass in beds or borders.
• Effective planted with both annuals and perennials.
• Foundations plantings.
• Large containers.
• Leaves are particularly impressive when backlit by sun

Tolerances

• None listed

Potential Problems

Rhizomes of Canna are susceptible to rot if planted in heavy, poorly drained, wet soils, so soil preparation is crucial during planting. Gardeners should monitor for common fungal issues, including leaf spots, rust, and bacterial blight, employing good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering to mitigate fungal spread. Pests such as Japanese beetles, various caterpillars, leaf rollers, slugs, and snails are often attracted to the large foliage of Canna, requiring routine inspection and appropriate management strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hardiness zones is Canna ‘Striata’ suitable for?

Canna ‘Striata’ is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 7 through 10, though it can be grown as an annual elsewhere.

How large does Canna ‘Striata’ grow?

This cultivar typically matures to a height between 4 and 6 feet, with a spread ranging from 1.5 to 4 feet wide.

What sun exposure does Canna ‘Striata’ need?

Canna ‘Striata’ requires full sun exposure to achieve its best growth and brightest leaf variegation.

When does Canna bloom?

This Canna variety produces orange flowers primarily between July and September.

Conclusion

The dramatic, striped foliage defines the substantial ornamental value of Canna ‘Striata’, positioning it as a top choice for adding instant tropical height to borders and containers. Its relatively low maintenance requirements further enhance its appeal for gardeners seeking bold impact. Before planting your Canna rhizomes this spring, confirm your local hardiness zone compatibility or plan for successful winter storage.

Companion Planting

Selecting appropriate companions helps frame the bold structure of Canna ‘Striata’. Because Canna requires full sun and consistently moist soil, pair it with other thirsty, sun-loving plants. Consider using large-leafed annuals like sweet potato vine (Ipomoea) or Dahlias, which share similar high-water needs. For textural contrast, use fine-textured grasses or dark-leaved foliage plants to make the brilliant yellow variegation of this Canna truly pop against the background.

Design Ideas

Utilize Canna ‘Striata’ as an architectural anchor in mixed perennial beds where height variation is desired, placing shorter, mounding plants in front. In formal modern landscapes, grouping three or five Canna specimens together creates a strong, repeating vertical element. Furthermore, the unique foliage makes it an excellent choice for screening unsightly views temporarily, leveraging its medium spread and rapid growth rate during the summer season.