Lemon Canna

Lemon Canna (Canna x generalis 'Lemon') brings clear pale yellow flowers, which can shade to cream, above broad green leaves. It stands 70cm to 1.2m tall and 35cm to 50cm wide, a fresh, light colour for beds and patio pots. It is raised from seed rather than from a heavy rhizome, so it arrives as a young tubestock plant.

Why you'll love it

• Fresh, light colour. Pale yellow blooms lift a green border and look clean beside blue, purple and white flowers.
• Flowers that show in dim light. Pale flowers glow at dusk and in part shade, where deep colours disappear.
• A long season. Flowers open from mid spring and carry on until the frosts.
• Bold leaves. Broad green leaves give a tropical frame to the soft flower colour.
• Hardy roots. Rated frost hardy to -12C, it dies back over winter and returns each spring.

Where it works best

Evening gardens and courtyards. Plant it where you sit at dusk, because pale flowers catch the last light after stronger colours have faded.

Mixed beds with blues and purples. Group three or five about 45cm apart. Yellow flowers against blue and purple neighbours give a clean, summery contrast.

Patio planters. Use one plant per pot of 30cm or wider, with trailing foliage around the edge. Keep the pot where it gets plenty of sun.

Growing Lemon Canna in Australia

Position and climate. Flowering is more prolific in full sun, though part shade is tolerated and shows off the pale blooms. It grows in tropical, subtropical and temperate gardens. The leaves die back with the cold and the roots are rated to -12C.

Soil. Plant in nutritious soil enriched with compost, or use a quality potting mix in pots.

Water and feed. In dry spells water weekly into the pot or at the base of the plant, not over the leaves. Feed fortnightly through the growing season, or use a slow release fertiliser each season.

Pruning. Remove spent flower stems as they finish, then cut the dead foliage to the ground after winter has browned it. In cold districts, mulch generously over the crown.

What to expect when it arrives

Lemon Canna is sold as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. As it is grown from seed and not from a large rhizome, expect a small, leafy plant to begin with. Plant it into warm soil and it will build up through the warm months, flowering as it gains size.

Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Pot friendly plants
• Flowering plants
• Plants for partial shade
• Long flowering plants and how to care for them

Common questions

Will the flowers stay yellow?

They open a clear pale yellow and can shade towards cream as they age.

Does it need full sun?

Flowering is more prolific in full sun, but Lemon Canna also grows in part shade, where its pale blooms stand out well.

Do I need to dig it up in winter?

No. The roots are rated frost hardy to -12C. Cut the dead foliage back and mulch over the crown in cold districts.