Hello Fellow Gardeners, With Spring in full bloom, we're all busy tending to our garden for the arrival of Summer. Last year I planted some CANNA LILY bulbs in my front flower bed. They did extremely well. I was surprise at how tall the stalk grew along with the large leaves. Then to my surprise beautiful reddish orange flower erupted. I was not expecting such a spectacular flower so it was very rewarding to see it grow all season long. I wasn't sure what to do after the flower and stalk withered away. I cut it down to about 4-6 inches from the ground and left the bulbs in the soil. Now I read that the bulbs must be dug up and protected from freezing. Some of my friends told me it was ok to leave in the ground and it would grow again the next summer. My questions is - will the canna lily grow again or have my bulbs rotted in the ground. I don't want to dig it up in case it will grow again. Any advice would be appreciated.
No harm in checking your bulbs, of course one must take care as to not slice any live tuber. Do you know when they usually sprout from the soil in your climate zone? Most Dahlias and Cannas will likely freeze on the BC coast, unless well protected, or We've experienced a rather mild winter, or excluding some coastal micro climates of course, and or dug up for next year... It would be hard to say, unless you have memory of just how cold last winter was at the site of your tubers. If they froze, they likely have perished leaving you a mushy tuber. Do check and let us know.
Canna, like Dahlia, should be dug up and protected from freezing during their dormant period. I store mine in peat moss in my unheated attached shed, and in spite of a colder than usual past winter here in Richmond, they did survive and are now starting to poke up their noses. Your Canna tubers are toast I'm afraid with all the freezing you get in your neck of the woods, wouldn't even bother to dig for them, unless you want to plant new ones in the same spot of course.....
They should be dug up in the fall and stored over the winter. our Canadian winter especially Ontario's is not Canna friendly.
