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Bulbs/cana lily bulb planting

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/23/2007


Question
in SE Wisconsin, when and how do I plant the bulbs I saved from last year

Answer
As you know, Cannas can't handle a winter in your Zone 5 climate, so you are right on the money for lifting them for storage over the winter.  Now that spring's sprung, it's time to think about putting them back in the ground.  

Notice I said "think" about putting them back.  Technically, you can re-plant Cannas any time in spring after danger from hard frost is past.  Cannas bask in the warm spring sun when the weather is good.  But they will die of exposure from a single hour of frigid air.  So use your judgment.

To re-plant, prepare holes about 1 foot deep, 1 1/2 feet apart, with the longer section of the root lying flat on the ground with the eye up (think of a potato eye).  Cover with a few inches of soil.  Re-cover every day as growth appears.  Water very well once a week.  Fertilize with a LOW-Nitrogen fertilizer to keep from getting excess leaves plus Canna shortage.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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