Expert: Long Island Gardener - 10/13/2007

Question
can you grow cannas in pots and bring them inside as house plants in the winter?

Answer
To my best knowledge, Cannas do not have any photoperiod requirements. That means that a short day length won't trigger dormancy or throw a wrench into the flowering cycle.

But if this is a project you would like to undertake, you should consider some other factors.

One is the fact that Cannas a full Sun flowers.  They need a ton of light -- straight up full spectrum Sunlight -- to really perform the way we expect them to.

The other is that you would have better results if you select the 2-ft dwarf type Canna cultivars.  Futurity. Orchid.  Chinese Coral.  Lucifer.  Otherwise you're looking at specimens that could hit 9 ft during the Season.

To sustain constant flowering, you will need vigilance about removing spent blooms to avoid any seed production.

As you probably know, many people simply grow these as brilliant Annual accents in the temperate garden.  They are known to survive outdoors through winter in places you would never expect, including Buffalo, NY, where I am guessing the thick blanket of snow is responsible for their survival rate.  Digging them at the end of the season and learning how to hold them through winter in your basement takes practice, but it's not that hard and you get the chance to MULTIPLY your collection by dividing them.  That means you take one rhizome and cut it up into smaller plants that are planted in the Spring and grow into new Cannas.

Not too difficult, actually.  Let me know if you'd like instructions and I list them for you.

As potted plants indoors, they are not the best candidates.  But nothing is impossible, especially where gardeners are concerned.  Thanks for writing.