I'm thinking about planting some sugar cane this Spring. Is this an annual in zone 7? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Ravenna grass is hardy and in the same genus, producing a good facsimile. Don't think you can eat it, though.
As it's an annual in your zone, if you want to plant cane and preserve it overwinter, I'd suggest putting it into large ceramic pots, then sinking those into your garden for the summer. This way you can pull it into your house in the fall before first frost, and enjoy the lightly sugary smell it puts off all winter. Sugarcanes can get quite tall (I've been in fields with 10-footers) so prune judiciously if you want them to stay manageable. However, if you do bring them indoors to overwinter, be aware that you need to refresh their soils every spring. Cane takes a lot of nutrient out of the dirt, and down here the commercial operations let their canefields lie fallow for six months in between plantings.
