Red Tiger canna (Canna × generalis) creates a striking contrast between broad variegated green leaves and deep red flowers. Its upright clump reaches approximately 150 cm tall and 50 cm wide, providing bold presence without becoming oversized in a border or large container. The Van Noort package contains one No. 1 rhizome ready to grow in spring. Flowering arrives toward late summer when warmth, light, water, and fertility are abundant. This tropical perennial in the Cannaceae family is grown as a seasonal plant in Canada, although its rhizome can be stored safely in frost-free conditions.

Plant the rhizome in spring after every frost risk has passed and the soil has warmed. Lay it horizontally 10 cm deep with buds upward, allowing 45 cm between plants. Choose full sun or light partial shade in rich, humus-filled, moist, well-drained soil. Water deeply during dry periods, especially in containers, without maintaining standing water. Add mature compost at planting and feed regularly at moderate rates. Remove faded flowers to preserve a tidy outline and encourage additional stems. Shelter the broad leaves from drying winds that could tear them, and maintain steady moisture while rapid summer growth is producing foliage and flower spikes.

Use ‘Red Tiger’ as a focal point in an exotic border, beside a patio, or at the centre of a large pot. Its variegated green foliage highlights lime coleus, pale begonias, caladiums, fine grasses, and orange or pink flowers. Blooms may attract hummingbirds and visiting insects through summer. After the first hard frost, cut stems, lift the rhizome carefully, and allow it to dry briefly. Store it in barely moist material somewhere dark, cool, and frost-free, then inspect it during winter. Replant only firm sections the following spring. This overwintering routine preserves the plant reliably despite cold Canadian conditions.

Starting canna indoors gives rhizomes a head start while spring frost still prevents outdoor planting. Pot in a freely draining mix, keep warm and bright, water lightly until shoots develop, and harden off plants before moving them outside after the last frost.