A half hardy perennial, it is often grown as an half hardy annual in the garden. It is a tall tropical plant that may reach 1.5 m in height. Canna lilies bloom in the summer and early autumn.
They work particularly well in pots and containers: rhizomes can be planted up in late spring and will flower in the same summer and well into autumn. Plunge the pots into borders for a splash of dramatic colour and remove them to a sheltered spot for overwintering. Cannas will grow in almost any soil but they are greedy plants and will flower best when fed a regular diet of well-rotted manure and compost. Lift the rhizomes in late October after flowering, store in a cool, dry place until spring and replant as the weather improves.