With its large-leafed foliage and brightly-coloured flowers, cannas (or canna lilies) makes a special contribution to your summer garden. Bold and exotic, cannas produce frilly flowers, vaguely reminiscent of irises, in colours like red, pink, white, yellow or orange. Foliage can be green, variegated, bronze or even maroon. Either day or night blooming, canna's individual florets usually last only a couple of days before being replaced by others on the same spike. Tall Canna varieties (up to 1.8m) make an excellent backdrop in beds, while the dwarf varieties (under 90cm) serve well at the front. For the best effect, choose a sunny spot and plant your Canna rhizomes in groups in well-drained but moist soil.