Hi im undecided on what to do come winter with my cannas do I keep them in the ground or just give them a very good mulch. What everyone else doing?

This winter, just like every other winter.... I shall do nothing!!!

No mulch no nothing? You are brave!

Not really San, they're either hardy or they're not

Ditto

the few i had left last year havent come up this year so i dont have that problem

one job off your winter list then RQ.

As i lost so many last winter i shall take no chances and lift the lot

Will you be aiming to keep the foilage in tact as well CW01 or will you cut that right back?

They're easy enough to grow from seed. If you have a propagator you can get them going Feb/Mar. If your overwinterers come through good, you have spare plants for those 'gaps' we all have, or make a few big potfuls up.

Yeah i grew all mine this year bob from seed, i started in February also using my heated prop, I grew 9 plants two different varieties. And have another variety growing at the minute, i know its a bit late but i will see what happens. If i can get one to flower that would be a bonus save me a little extra money for next year on seeds. But i seriously doubt this batch will flower now not this late on now. Do you grow your canna's from seed bob? I have been thinking that i might lift half of my batch and leave half in the ground and see if the outside ones survive, with this being my first year doing tropicals/exotics i don't really know how they will survive, no one else seems to grow stuff like this down my street only cordylines.

I've only grown cannas from seed for 2/3 years San. They have all overwintered outside here each year with no losses. But my winters are usually a good bit milder than yours. Plus my garden is a few inches deep in leaves all winter from the adjacent trees which also probably helps.

It depends on the canna.

I have some canna that are not completly hardy, ie Canna edulis, which is an E Maurelii coloured Canna musafolia type, growing to about 10 feet. I lost all of these last year and replaced them this, so will lift and keep frost free.

Others, like Canna indica, which all came from one plant in 1982, were nearly wiped out last winter, but one small clump has come back. I will lift this and keep growing in the frost free poly. They stay green unless frosted.

Canna Eisenhower, new this year, I will lift as I like this one and want to increase before risking left outside.

Self sown seed germinates in warmer summers like this and in 2006, but I have never grown Canna from seed deliberately. My propagators are full as it is

C Eisenhower seems to have swelling seed pods... maybe I'll grow these from seed, if it actually produces them, just to see what we get

Chad, are you thinking of winter 1984 I moved here that year planted everything out, and lost my entire outdoor exotics collection other than Trachycarpus fortunei

Most of my canna's are indica's. The rest are generalis marabout.

San i shall let the frost knock the plants to ground level then lift and store frost free then pot up in early spring
Carl