any one ever try keeping Cannas in the ground in the winter here? Thanks Paul
over wintering Cannas
Paul, Are you asking about the Northeast (I don't know anyone who has) or FL?
north east CT Ma Nh
I'm not aware of cannas surviving in the ground in my neck of the woods. We have to dig them up and store the tubers.
We had some in our dump pile at work last year make it, under about 2' of leaves.
I dont think they would survive the harsh winters on the east coast. I dig up mine every year.
One local nursery had some they accidentally left out last year (Under about 3" of mulch) that survived... There was also a lady I met who was working at the local Lowes who said that she leaves her cannas out every year, and just mulches them good.
I leave mine out and just add about 3-4 inches of mulch where they are planted. So far, they've come back three years in a row.
I am in Missouri, 5b/6 and leave mine in the ground all winter - elephant ears, too.
hmmm...maybe next year I'll experiment and leave some in with lots of mulch too. It definitely would save me some time and effort.
Anita - I agree with you and I'm willing to try it this year, per jjpm's instructions. I'll wait for a frost and then do it. Much easier to get a few pails of mulch than all the digging! Thanks jjpm!
I'm too late for this year, so it will have to wait until next. Let me know your results in the spring Arlene.
Will do.
If it doesn't work I should have a gooey mess to deal with but it can go to the compost piles. I'm thinking of putting on the mulch and adding a few cement blocks. I'll take photos but have to wait for a frost. We have warnings that it could happen tomorrow morning. A bit early but even this morning it was 32, yet the dahlias, snaps, roses and a few impatiens are still in bloom.
Oh good news, I'm going for it!
Last year I dug everything up, followed all instructions and lost everything anyway.
This year I'm leaving all of it in, dahlias, Musa Basjoo and the cannas. I'm getting several bales of straw to dump over them.
We've had several frosts and everything is brown (except the stems of the bananas), but the ground is far from frozen. Is now the time?
I usually wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but that's only because the bales of hay serving as decoration on my front porch have worn out there welcome by that time. ;-)
I love the hay idea! When I put it down depends on when I buy it.