My Canna Forest

A few years ago, my daughter gave me a 'Canna' the purple leaved variety. Every summer this plant has just grown and grown, with more and more tubers for me to overwinter. At this time of year I am on the look out for homes that will give my babies plenty of TLC. So from my one plant, I have had at least twenty thriving cannas, some of which I have given away. Today I started to dig them up for their winter hibernation. Believe it or not I have only dug up one, and have had to split it into five pots...The question is, has anyone had any luck with overwintering them outside? bearing in mind I have a rather cold garden, being on the edge of a twenty acre field...

 

I have never tried with cannas, but some years I have had the odd bit of forgoten dahlia tuber which has survived outside in my frost pocket of a garden. also I have an hedichium which I leave out and it much prefers to be outside as it always flowers well, but the ones I lift and get going early inside never flower.

If you have so many bits of canna why not experiment with a bit rather than give it all away. give it a good mulch or stick fleece over it preferabley a bit that is still well rooted in and not been yet disturbed.

 

I leave mine in the ground all winter and they seem to do well. In spring i give them a good feed and dig in some rich compost from the compost heap.

 

Depends where you are, a lot of folk leave them in but a deep penetrating prolonged frost (which we haven't had for years) might see them off.
Leave a couple in to try them out, as you say, you have so many so it won't hurt to lose one or two. Gardening is all about experimenting.

 

I have always found it's not so much the survival but the waking them up that's the problem with canna. Depends whether you want half the summer to be gone before they make an appearance.

If I had the option of a greenhouse I would always lift for the winter and split early to get them going for may/june rather than July/august if left.

 

Agree with BM, until all mine were struck with the virus I used to lift in February and pot up, and put in the greenhouse to get them going early.
Think if you give them a good four inches of mulch or a straw bale on top they will survive ok.
The slow starts are the problem.

 

Thank you folks for all your different answers to my problem...I think I will try leaving a few out which are in a sheltered part of the garden.. the rest will have to be packed like sardines in my conservatory...