2ofus: I am in New England, zone 6a, so a bit warmer than you. I try to start my cannas indoors by April. If I don't, I won't get blossoms until late August. First frost date here is late September, so I try to extend the bloom season by potting up indoors in early spring. Some years I don't get to it & I just plant them outside for their foliage. I keep my cannas in garbage bags & peat moss in a dark basement in winter. It is probably 60 degrees down there & the cannas do just fine. Come April-ish, they start growing all on their own, even in the garbage bags. Some cannas I grow on my terrace in large pots. I just drag the pots to the basement every fall & drag them out again in late May. I don't even change the soil!! I just am sure to fertilize them. I think you can't kill these plants! I love the great big leaves. I have one that has maroon leaves. The foliage itself is a great accent in the garden, with or without flowers.
Thank you, Cayuga. I have decided to buy some this year. My basement stays around 55 degrees so I should be fine. I want to get a tall one with colored leaves also. What size pot do you use? I'm going to try to keep Dalia bulbs in the basement also. I read that they store at about the same temperature. I may look up caladium bulbs to see if they like the same storage temps. I'm trying to save some money on patio plants as buying enough for 8 pots gets expensive.
2ofus, That's great! I hope you enjoy them! Cannas get pretty big, so the bigger the better in terms of pot size. I would get a lightweight pot though because it can get heavy.
Brecks has a dwarf variety of the Canna with the bronze/purple leaves. They are about 2 feet tall and perfect for pots. It's called Louis Cotton Dwarf Canna - Orange blooms and they have one named Angelique that has bright pink blooms.
Another question. My soil is 7.5 to 8 alkalinity. I was reading up on care of cannas and read that they do not like alkaline soil. Of course our water also is alkaline so even growing in a pot doesn't help. Is anyone else growing cannas in alkaline soil?
I used to have cannas years ago when I live downstate Mich. Since I moved North I haven't had any. This winter I have been trying to start them by seed. Does anyone have any hints or suggestions on starting them by seed?? I'm not having any luck.
I have my Canna tubers potted up under grow lights in the basement right now.In cold climates they need to be started early.If they get too big for the pot before it gets warm enough to plant out just pot them up into a larger one.Not too much water while indoors though,they can rot.Outside they need lots of water and can be planted in a water garden or pond if you like.
After all the nice advise I received I've actually changed my mind on the cannas! I decided instead to plant cosmos in the back of the border, mixed 15 inch tall dahlias in the middle, and alyssum in the front. If nothing else, it should be colorful!
