Canna Lily Companion Flowers

Perennial Companions

• Canna lilies range in height from a mere 2 feet to well over 10 feet tall, so select companion perennials with some height to them. Lupine, foxglove, bee balm, inula, and Oriental and Asiatic lilies are a few of the possible options. Another option is to choose shorter varieties of canna lilies. In cold climates, these bulbs require digging once a frost has blackened their foliage if you intend to keep them from year to year.

Tropical Companions

• Gingers, bananas, calla lily, gladiolus and pineapple lily grow well and look good in combination with canna lilies. All of these plants are tropical plants, which means they will not overwinter in the ground in cold climates. These plants are ideal container plants and will thrive indoors as houseplants over the winter months, or they can be left outside, like canna lilies, until the first frost blackens their foliage, then dug and put into storage for the winter. Make sure they will not be subjected to freezing temperatures in the storage area.

Container Companions

• Growing canna lilies in containers makes it easy to move them indoors during the winter or put them in storage. Once frost hits the foliage, simply remove the dead foliage, and move the entire pot into storage, or move them indoors before frost hits the foliage. Petunia, verbena and lantana are ideal annual plants to grow in combination with canna lilies. An annual plant is one that grows, flowers, sets seed and dies in one growing season. Lantana, which can also be a tender perennial in warmer climates, will thrive indoors during the winter months. Petunia and verbena will last for a while indoors but often begin to get scraggly and are best discarded.

Water Garden Companions

• Canna lilies love water, which is why they are an ideal pond plant. They add height to water gardens as well as color, which is something that is often lacking. Water iris, lotus and water lilies make good companion flowers. Treat canna lilies grown in water gardens as annuals. Keeping water garden plants alive indoors over the winter is possible, but not easy, since they will need to be submerged in water all winter long. Cannas grown in water gardens in cold climates should be started in pots. Once the foliage begins to grow, set the pot in the pond, ensuring the entire pot is submerged.