What Plants Go Well Together and Canna Tropicanna

Permanent Plantings

• Although in many locations cannas must be dug up for wintering-over, you can use them in permanent plantings in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 and above. "Tropicanna's" colorful leaves makes it a great choice for placing near shrubbery, as well as with other flowering plants. For example, University of Georgia gardeners planted "Tropicanna" with Achillea "Coronation Gold" and pink muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris. Other compatible perennials include coreopsis, day lilies peonies, rudbeckia, salvia and shasta daisies.

Containers

• If you don't have much garden space or want a stunning accent for a patio or balcony, pot up your Canna "Tropicanna" with some companions. Use the "thriller-filler-spiller" formula. With the canna as the striking centerpiece, add a complementary flowering or foliage plant to act as a filler and include a contrasting plant that will spill out of the pot. Put a single "Tropicanna" in a 24-inch pot with lime-green ornamental sweet potato vines and white-flowered Begonia "Angel Wings." Alternatively, plant your "Tropicanna" in a large terra-cotta pot with orange zinnias, sunflowers and blue petunias.

Annuals

• Pair "Tropicanna" with annuals to create a splash of color in a planting. Any of the sun-loving annuals you'd use for bedding plants will complement your cannas--marigolds, zinnias and sun-tolerant coleus varieties in contrasting or coordinating colors have similar growing requirements. Experiment with annual cultivars of different heights to find the look you want. When frost approaches, dig up your "Tropicanna" for winter protection and replace your summer annuals with a fall planting of cool season annuals, such as pansies, snapdragons or ornamental cabbages and kale.

Tender Perennials

• Use "Tropicanna" with other tender perennials for a summer flowerbed. If you live where winter temperatures will threaten cannas, planting them with dahlias and other plants you'll dig up to winter-over simplifies your fall gardening chores. if you site this bed in front of shrubs or trees with winter interest, you'll be revealing those plantings just as they approach their peak season.