As I was saying: your cannas are huge and beautiful! Some varieties of canna are over five feet tall – or taller! – even in Saskatchewan’s short growing season. Like me, I imagine most of you struggle with the concept of throwing out a perfectly good plant. It seems logical, then, to simply bring the canna inside and treat it like a houseplant until next summer … right?

Unfortunately, you would be incorrect in that assumption.

I know this appears to contradict the advice we give to gardeners: we say, use banana plants, birds of paradise, oleanders, and ferns in your outdoor planters! Bring them in right before the fall and have them last until next year. We are big fans of a plant investment! This will work for those tropicals, but not for cannas.

Trust me, I’ve tried.

Therefore, dear plant friends, please learn from my mistakes: your cannas will benefit if you think of them as a bulb. Like tulips, their cellular information is contained within a rhizomatic structure, so maintaining the entire plant actually doesn’t save it in the long run: if you leave the leaves of a canna, the bulb does not rebuild its energy source. If it can’t rebuild that energy source, it will not produce flowers the following year. Cannas – and by extension, their bulbs – have adapted to need a break between growing seasons. They require a rest where they are inactive so that they can give you that huge flowering “bang!” that you love.

Here are the steps to get your cannas ready:

1. Dig up your cannas from wherever they are – containers, beds, and so on – because their fragile tissues won’t survive our cold winters, even underground. (PS Tulips actually require the cold sleep underground: again, every plant adapts in its own fun ways!)
2. Cut off all of the leaves and flowers. Try not to be sad: you are creating stronger and happier plants in the long run. If you’re really devastated, make yourself a beautiful bouquet with the leaves and flowers. Throw in some other late-blooming flowers like asters, rudbeckia, and marigolds, and make it fun!
3. The rhizomes of the canna appear like long, thick roots at the base of the plant. These must be thoroughly washed of soils and debris. Remove any dead tissue – dead leaves, soft roots, or bits that are brown or black. Decomposing plant material is great for your compost (hooray!) and not so great when trying to preserve bulbs (sad!). Healthy roots may be white, off-white or yellow, and firm to the touch, like a carrot. Once your roots are washed, let them air dry. They should not have any excess moisture on them when they are first stored.
4. Prepare a place to house your canna bulbs. This should be a place that is quite cool, but not freezing. (Think around 5 degrees C. If you’re me, with a garage that is sometimes 6 degrees C, but very small with a door that opens frequently, the variance in temperature might be too much for little canna babies). If you have a cool basement or root cellar, this could be adequate. As I said, a temperature-controlled garage – usually a larger one – might suit just fine if the temperature doesn’t fluctuate too badly. Folks with infinitely more space than I will use a refrigerator. If all you have is a pantry, clear a space on the floor (where it is coolest), and plan to park your canning in front of it. You want the space to be mostly dark and quite dry.
5. Depending on the number of bulbs you have, you may choose to get a smaller paper bag or cardboard box. Lightly place some dried peat moss on the bottom. You could also use clean and dry wood chips, or even shredded paper. As long as the material is relatively clean and dry, you want to create an insulated space that also allows for air-flow. Avoid plastic, grass clippings, or material that will degrade too quickly. Lightly layer the bulbs and material, alternating to ensure there is plenty of air-flow and insulation between the bulbs. Tie up the bag or fold up the box, and place it in your storage area.
6. The next step is optional, but handy: set a few timers in your phone calendar (or paper calendar, if you are my mother. Hi, Mom!). I would pick the first of the month since it’s a consistent day, but you do you, plant fam. The point is: pick a day each month where you plant to do a quick inspection of your bulbs. On the appointed day, open the bag and do a quick check:
   
   1. Sniff test: the bag or box should smell fresh and earthy. That would be an automatic sign that something has gone wrong!
   2. Sight test: look for bad colours! You are looking for obviously rotten pieces which will have turned black or brown. Any mushy spots that are still the right colour you can also say goodbye.
   3. Touch test 1: feel a few of the bulbs for soft spots– a couple at the top and a couple at the bottom if you don’t have a lot of time. Or, do a thorough check by dumping out the bag to re-pack it later. It’s important to remove any decomposing tissue from the bag before the rest of the bulbs start to go, too.
   4. Touch test 2: feel a few of the bulbs for wrinkles – these bulbs might be getting too dried out. You can slightly spritz these with some water. In this case, you might consider swapping out or reducing your storage media, as it might be causing too much air flow between the bulbs, causing the moisture to be absorbed.
7. Repeat your check-ups as you have time! I would recommend this for anyone who has a large quantity of bulbs, and if you see too much moisture (rot) or too little (wrinkly bulbs), then you will want to make a priority of assessing the bulbs each month.

And that’s it for storage!

When you are ready to plant your bulbs in the spring, pour them out and look for spoiled pieces (as in Step 6 above). Plant your bulbs in small pots of fresh soil to be transplanted later if you want to get a head start, or plant them straight in the ground when the overnight temperatures are consistently above freezing.

You’ll thank us when your cannas look glorious next year, too!