Canna lilies have tender tubers. In warm climates where winter temperatures rarely drop below 40 degrees F, mulching the flower bed would be sufficient to protect them frost and freezing. In most places, like here in Cincinnati where fall and winter temperatures will drop below freezing, canna lilies will need special care to survive cold temperatures. You may also need to store your Dahlias, Gladiolus and other tender weather bulbs and tubers. This technique works for every bulb I have ever stored over the cold winter months.
Before you dig up your tubers you need to think of where you will store them. You can use a box, large bucket or heavy plastic garbage bag and fill it with damp sand, sphagnum peat moss, coarse sawdust or vermiculite particles. I prefer to keep mine in 4′ frames with screen material stapled to the bottom. I like this because it is easy to spray the bulbs and tubers to remove the remaining dirt and it allows air to circulate during storage.
Allow the first fall frost to blacken the foliage of the canna lilies.
You can dig them up as long as the soil is workable and snow or frost hasn’t crusted the soil surface. Start digging 6 inches away from the base of the plant. Use the shovel to loosen the roots. I lightly tap the tuber on the ground to remove any loose soil.
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A great post for those of us up north that love these plants!
Thanks Nancy, I just finished pulling all my bulbs last week. Then yesterday our temperature got up above 70 degrees. It was a nice surprise, but I much would have preferred pulling them yesterday instead of last week when it was a high of 50. Hope all is well where you are.
Amy
Thank you for your website as I am a first time grower of Canna Lilies this year. Just for the heck of it I had decided to plant the bulbs in large flower containers (6) along the front patio with annuals around the base of the pots along with 12 very small bulbs (along the back fence) as they were $4.00 per 6 pack bags at the Nursery last Spring. Wow! What a showcase they became, what was an “oh what the heck planting” turned into a showcase of compliments and total beauty of the neighborhood. People believe I did it on purpose and have a very Large Green Thumb, quite the contrary, I only fed them at planting with a 3-5 month time fertilizer, watered and oh my, my did they ever grow, grow and grow height and widthwise and very stocky; and flowering?, Wow! They are still blooming!
I live in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania (Bucks County), and I guess I need to pull them out of the pots soon to store the bulbs for the winter along with my also newly grown (13) Elephant Ear plants that made me and everyone that saw them giggle looking at them all summer long. I would hate to let them die after such enjoyment.
So now the hard part; looks as if I have to pull them up and store them.
The Canna Lilies in the large pots look as if they were pot bound as numerous shoots have been growing around the original small tuber and became new plants, yet, never flowering. I imagine there are a lot of tubers in the pot, or one Huge one. I want to leave the Canna’s in their pots till after Halloween (big holiday thing around here) if I can, as of October 10th I have now decided to label them as Corn Stalks as they are starting to brown a bit for a big Halloween party scheduled. I imagine they will have to be separated. I bought a Machete if I need to cut them apart before storage according to your directions. What about the cut or break area? Will they rot? Should I buy some sort of powder or something like they do with potatoes when they cut them up so they don’t? It gets cold during the winter here, I imagine I will put wrap them in brown paper bags and newspaper and put them in labeled cardboard boxes (a lot) and into a closest as the garage gets well below freezing. What do you think? I’d hate to find them all rotten in the spring time.
Hi Brian, Your Cannas sound amazing. I think that Cannas make the most impact if they are planted in a grouping (even though the growers say to space them apart). I say let your neighbors think you planned the whole thing! 🙂
You should have no problem leaving them till after Halloween, even if we have a frost and a bit of snow (which is predicted) and the cornstalk idea is a great. You only need to worry when the ground starts to freeze, and as warm as the temperature of the soil is right now that shouldn’t be a problem.
After autumn frost blackens the foliage, remove the stems and leaves leaving 2-3″, you can use clippers or swing your machete if you want though it shouldn’t be necessary, unless you just want to swing the machete. Lift out your tubers with a shovel, don’t break apart yet, you will do that part when you replant in the spring. With that being said, if you have breakage don’t worry.
I store all of my tubers in barely-moist peat or leaf mold, spacing so that they are not touching. Store them in frost-free conditions 45-50 degrees is best, basement or the coolest room in your house, closet closest to garage door?? Not the garage if it gets to freezing. You don’t want to store in cardboard box since you want to try to keep the peat moss somewhat moist. Try a plastic storage bin without the lid so that their is a bit of air circulation.
I have never stored my Cannas in newspaper I can’t say if this works well or not, but I have read where people have done it this way with success. I would just check them out once a month to make sure they are not drying out or rotting.
When spring rolls around and you are ready to replant cut the tubers apart with a sharp knife so that each piece contains one eye on a substantial piece of rootstock.
I hope this helps, if you have any other questions let me know. Good luck!
Amy
Okay; I will do as you suggest for the Canna Lilies and their winter storage. I wasn’t aware of the ‘splitting in the spring time’. I never thought of the “Grouping” idea. I think I will try this in the various corners of the back yard and side fencing in the spring and allow a larger bit of room for any width growth. Kind of a cool idea of yours now that I think about it, the heck with the so-called experts, let’s have some fun! I hope I have a lot of new Canna roots to play around with (I had thought they were bulbs), as when I do something, well, to be honest, I tend to be quite “extreme”. How many would you “group”? Is there a suggested minimum or maximum? Oh heck, let’s have some massive fun and experiment, I’ll buy a bunch more roots from the nursery at do a test massive test trial. I will use the new machete on the Elephant Ear plants to whack the foliage off them and reduce the stem to 2-3″ above ground foliage also and store them. At least I get to use the new Machete. Brian.
They are actually bulbs, not roots. I have clay here in se wisconsin so I have always broken them up to break off the clods to save the worms. Ive had the same bulbs for years and years and shared with family and friends. Once you have cannas, well. You have cannas!!! Its amazing how much they multipl, if you didnt remove them from the pots they may burst them! They are literally the size of idaho bakers all connected! I absolutely love ears too, your plantings sound extremely awesome, happy fall
Do the roots need to be pruned completely. I am planning to wrap them in newspapers and store in garage safe from frost.
No Syed you don’t need to prune the roots at all. You only want to prune the foliage.
Hi, I’ve been growing canna lilies for the past 2 summers. We have so many that it’s virtually impossible to dig them up. Last year we left them through the ridiculous Long Island winter. They came up with aveangance! I’ve been reading that putting extra mulch will keep them over the winter.
What do your experiences say? :0)
Hey Mellissa,
I have left mine in the ground in the past with an extra layer of mulch with mixed results. About half of them rotted and the second year I lost them all. I know some people would prefer to leave them in the ground and buy new each year.
Thanks for commenting.
Amy
Hi Melissa; I have absolutely NO experience with Canna’s or Elephant Ear plants, other than growing stuff since I was three years old. I am now 58 and still having as much fun growing and trying different plants as I was then. That’s why I like Amy’s website; She has “NEW IDEAS” and “AN OPEN MIND” to gardening. My other experiences are as a Bee Keeper over the last twenty five years and, way, way, way too many hobbies and profitable businesses along the way that I can keep up with. Just the way I am! Extreme, but, never, ever boring at any dinner conversation no matter what subject on Earth, and very knowledgeable. I am going to give that new Mulch idea of yours a try for some of the Canna’s that I left in the ground where my house has overhangs from the roof and weren’t effected as much by the first few frosts. No blame to your idea if they are totally wiped out! Only kidding Melissa! I bet out there in Long Island you sure have some severe windy cold winters! Yet, so beautiful in the Spring, Summer and Fall, what a beautiful balance.
I have two tropical palm type trees and a tropical Holy Hock type of tree under my house overhangs that I bought cheap and planted in the spring, they have all quadrupled their sizes over the spring and summer months, of which the frost didn’t hit them as of yet, though the temperatures will very soon drop and continue to drop, and drop as I am sure you know.
The Holly Hock tree gave me so much pleasure by blooming each and every day that I find it hard to let it die. I have no room for it in the house, and to board it in a greenhouse which they advertise around here is just too expensive for the $5.00 each I paid for them, so far. I am going to try the idea of bunching up a lot of bag Mulch/compost mixed with peat moss around them, and maybe a four inch 5-6″ circular trench maybe 2′ outside the stem zone. Perhaps I will set up the Holly Hock with a fairly tight sleeve to breath around its stem base. PVC or Vinyl breathable collar? I wonder about a burlap cover for the Holly Hock?
The Palms; I was thinking of cutting back the foliage and layering the mulch/peat moss over the cut marks 4-6 inches above the stem cut; I hope I don’t suffocate them after cutting back the foliage for a more thermal blanket, yet I imagine the mulch mixture to settle to 50-20% or less compression, or even more after a few rains and the snow comes, melts, then melts again. How much Mulch do you think would be adequate? I’m going to gamble on maybe the entire 2-cubic yard bag for each plant to make sure. Need to decide fairly quickly as I am sure the temperature will soon drop even more as it has been in the 30’s a few mornings in the last week and will continue onward; so I need to make a rescue attempt “either way”. Got any ideas? Any try/idea is better than what I have now; None are worse then not giving an idea; at least a try! What do you think? Brian.
Oh-My-Gosh!! I dug up the Canna Lilies and my Elephant Ear plants yesterday. When I dug up the Cannas I thought I was digging up potato vines! I never would have imagined the large quantities I yielded from both the Canna’s and the Elephant Ear plants! Hey? Anyone want to buy some? I’m in the Money if so! Amy; I am drying them out per your instructions. I got to use the Machete on the large bases of the Elephant Ear large, thick stalks. I wonder if you could eat these things? Canna wise I got fifteen too twenty per stalk. Does this happen every year? My Gosh I am a happy planter indeed. I will have plenty for the spring if they survive and a heck of a lot to give away. That was F-U-N!!!! Thanks Amy!!!
Brian, you got it going on!! Yes, the Canna’s like to reproduce if they are happy, obviously yours were very happy. Also, glad to hear you got to swing your Machete! Have a warm winter.
See you in the Spring! Brian.
I have grown cana’s for many years on long island… there’s alot of opinions out there on growing and storing for the winter…i find what you read and whats good for you really depends on the place you live…so my advise for NY is take them out of the ground first by cutting the stalks down at ground level… then dig out the bulbs… on a work table I get a scissors and cut the roots away like a haircut…let the bulbs dry out a few days then Store them in a place where its dry and does not freeze.. I use a burlap bag or a box… Every year I double the size of amount of bulbs.. I grow the few I want indoors too, & I start from the seeds ( this takes a ittle practice) …just to see … but all in all the re planting of the bulbs give the largest crop.. The sunnier the area is the best Strong sun… make them grow the tallest… lots of water…and they grow 5- 6 Feet every year.. I plant them shallow and very close together…6 INCHES AND IT works fine..
It creates a nature fence line….Hummingbirds love them…here on Long island…
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We planted many Cana’s this spring.. All our neighbors and friends have them too, and we all have them around our pools. We live in the Dallas Texas area. They all just cut them down, they don’t take out bulbs, or do any storing of them and they come back year after year. I talked to one lady in the nursery where we bought them, and she said she ran over all of hers with the lawnmower, and they came back all over the place. My daughter in -law just cuts them down also. We do have some days in winter where we have ice and snow. Can we d this too? (I would not ever use the lawn mower). We are supposed to get our first freeze today and I see on some sites that we should wait until stems turn brown from frost before cutting down, is that right?
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Hi, LaVerne. Because you live in Texas you do not have to pull up your Canna’s. Even though you may get a freeze or snow it never gets cold long enough for your ground temperature to freeze, so your Cannas will stay safe. I would cut them back like your neighbors, and you can be pretty rough with how you cut them back as long as you don’t damage the bulb. Your bulbs will continue to grow underground and may need to be eventually pulled up and divided. Best of luck and thanks for stopping by.
I’m not one to fuss with digging up bulbs and storing, etc. The Canna is the “official” flower on our little street in Rochester, NY. We all have them in large pots. A couple years ago, I simply brought my pot in and put it by a south-facing window, which I am doing again this year. I think it will do just fine again. Best of luck to all who plant them.
I had a friend who would plant her cannas in containers and pull the containers into her garage for the cold months. She had great luck doing it this way. I like that your street has an official flower, and that its Cannas! 🙂
I live in Oklahoma I have cannas planted in a pot is cutting back ok or should I dig them up? This is my first experience with them. Thank you Paula
Hi Paula. You need to cut your Canna’s back, and then move your pot into a garage if possible. Especially if you live in Northern Oklahoma, with the possibility of a cold winter you will want your pot to be sheltered from any freezing temperatures. You can also dig them up and store them according to how my post instructs, but if you can move the pot this will be easier.
My canna tubers froze in the garage and when they thawed out in the house they were soft and mushy…. will they still grow come summer?
Hi Marcy, I am going to say no. My experience is they will rot. The only way that I think you will have any luck is if they are not soft throughout. Meaning if there is a good portion that still is healthy, you could cut the soft and mushy part away and replant the healthy portion and cross your fingers in the spring.
Hey, Amy: I live in NYC and removed my Cannas in the Fall. I placed them in a cool spot in my basement, wrapped the roots in newspaper and placed them in plastic bags. I checked on them a few weeks later and saw that they had started to sprout. I moved them to a colder spot and the sprouts have continued to grow. Now I am not sure what to do. Your suggestions would be appreciated… thank you… CJ
Hi CJ, I have had this happen to several bulbs and tubers. Since March is right around the corner, I would let them do what they will and just plant them up in the spring, letting their growth pop up. You will just have flowers earlier than the rest of us. 🙂
Can I put my large canna plants in very large pots in the unheated greenhouse over the winter before the frosts start? Then when the leaves grow brown cut them down and leave them there until they start to shot in spring?Carole from kent englandcarole
Carole, I think that should work just fine as long as the greenhouse doesn’t get incredibly cold.
I am new to cannas this year and live in Oklahoma. I have read several things on how to take care of them threw the winter but unsure what is my best option. We had our first freeze last night and now they look dead. Wonder when and how I need to take care of them.
May I use wood chips, to store canna bulbs in?
Yes in a warmer place that will work
Hello,
I realize this blog is several years old but I am hoping that you may still receive notifications about new posts.
This past summer was my first summer raising flowers. I bought a variety… Petunia, Marigold, Mandeville (climbing & bush varieties), African Daisy, Sunflowers, Begonia, Bandana Lantana, Dahlia, Cana Lily and a few others.
I’m starting to feel sad about it being the end of summer and having to say farewell to all the glorious slender these flowers have given. I would like to bring them in for the winter without letting them die and then digging up the tubers/bulbs.
Some of the plants I put in a flower bed & the others in pots.
My question is, can I dig up the Canna Lilys, Dahlias, and the Bandana Lantanas, (possibly others), and transfer them to pots, and then bring them in for the winter? Will they continue to grow? Or, will they go dormant or, die?
Please pardon my ignorance but I do not know very much about flowers. I have been learning as I go. Some advice from an expert like yourself would be much appreciated.
One last question. Apparently, some of my flowers (the Mandevilles) have caught rust. I have sprayed them but their new growth is coming in pale/light green and older leaves are yellowing (almost over night), and dropping off. Others have developed some sort of mold. Possibly gray mold. And my African Daisies have either rust or something that’s making their once dark green leaves look sickly with tiny spots and the leaves near the soil are wilting.
Any ideas? If I cannot cure them are they worth saving?
Sorry for all the questions! I sure would appreciate your time, advice, and effort to help me to help my beautiful babies get well and to make it through the winter one way or the other.
Sincerely,
Kara
This is one of my favorite flowers. I like the beautiful colors of each flower, bring me the feeling of happiness of life. Thank you for your article.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge to the world. I found this page after it is too late. I have always dreamt of planting Cannas but no luck as I never knew their name. Recently, I rented this beautiful house with cannas which I enjoyed for a short of time as last week all were suddenly brown and some are dry. I swear I cried as I wanted to do something to them but still no luck finding their names on the internet. Finally, tonight, I found your page after searching images under “ caring for outdoor plants in winter”. I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Is there any thing I can do to help them sprout in the summer or it is too late? Thank you
Hey, Amy!
I live in middle TN and planted calla and canna lilies in pots (cuz the soil is too dense…clayish??? I’m from Iowa where the black soil grows Anything). I left ’em out in the pots and the canna are mushy above soil-level. Will it be ok?? It’s a Tropicana so if not I’d like to get another one this spring. Any info is greatly appreciated! VKD
Hi Val,
You can’t judge what they are doing above soil. However, if it is super wet and your pots are not draining properly, they could rot. It might be good to pull them out and store them in some sand in the garage or basement.
Good luck,
Amy
Hi Amy!
I’m from the south of England in the UK and this is the best canna overwintering advice I’ve seen yet!
Last year I tried to keep them going in the house but unfortunately most rotted and I’ve had to start again.
Winters here are normally around 0c (32f) but can be very wet – I’m looking to follow your advice and store them in my cellar this year after reading this.
Some above were asking about overwintering in the ground, a good garden centre here recommends planting them on a good few inches of sand or grit so that there is less chance of rotting over the winter. You’d still need to mulch.
There’s also a great grower here called Hart Canna that had lots of interesting info and plants, but not as concise as this.
Best, Ian.