Tropicals & Tender Perennials: 'Phoenix' bird or paradise, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Phil, here's a better picture of my second bud on this canna. It just popped out of the calyx (sheath) a day after I cut the other spent flower stem off.

So, I'm just saying, don't give up after the first flowers go, give the sheath a gentle squeeze with your fingers, which should tell you if there's a second flower scape on the way. Sometimes there are even three!

After you're sure the last flowers are done on a stem, cut the flower stem down to the first set of leaves, and then when the leaves start to look a bit ratty, cut the whole stem down at just above ground level. This will stimulate the rhizome to put up another stem. I know it seems drastic, but that's what works with cannas.

Once they are well established, you can cut the stem right off immediately after the flowers finish. But at first, the rhizome will do better if you leave it some leaves to re-nourish it.