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Bulbs/cannas bulbs

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 12/2/2007


Question
I live in Wilmington, NC &  have cannas growing in pots. I have cut them back as the cold weather has begun to yellow their leaf. Should I take the bulbs out of the pots to overwinter or simply leave them in.

Answer
I don't know the numbers as far as the success rate with these different methods, my friend, but I suspect these bulbs do better when unpotted, then buried, shallow, in sand or vermiculite.  The Canna 'crown' is planted just peeking through.  Spray the surface of the growing/storage medium with water (you can use any spray bottle for this) and store in a paper bag - never in plastic - for Winter.  You'll have to spray them regularly to keep them from drying out - the same as Dahlias overwintering.  Keep them
in a chilly basement or garage.  The temperature should never reach 32 degrees F or your leaves are a goner.

Watch for new growth and in late Spring, after all possible chance of frost has passed, take them back outside to your garden and plant as usual.

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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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