Overwintering Canna lilies – How to Store Canna Bulbs

Overwintering Canna lilies – How to Store Canna Lilly Flower Bulbs

photo: Veseys.com/ca

Canna lilies belong to my favourite exotic garden plants
They do come in a variety of colours now, from dark red to pinks, yellow and orange. They look stunning in mass plantings, but also as a backdrop in your perennial garden.  I prefer the red ones, because I found them to be growing faster, higher, and they do attract Ruby Throated Hummingbirds to my garden.  Every May we put up our Hummingbird feeders, and my kids look forward to their arrival.
I have a huge variety of Hummingbird friendly native flowers in my garden, but it appears that the Cannas lilies are voted Number No. by these flying little jewels.

You can buy Canna bulbs in the spring at just about any store.  At Costco, for example, I have seen huge bags, and they come at a decent price.
Don’t wait till summer to buy Cannas at your garden centre, because they cost a premium, like $6-$10 per plant!

That’s why I like to overwinter my own bulbs and save the costs each year on purchasing new ones.

Come fall, I even have enough bulbs to give away additional ones to friends and neighbors.

Overwintering Cannas Flowers is very simple.
I have a good size garden and like to keep about 30-50 bulbs.
For this, I am re-using a big rubber tote. I got it free since it had a small crack and my neighbours threw it into the trash.
For a smaller number of bulbs, any sturdy cardboard box will be fine.  Make sure the bottom is taped, so no soil “escapes.”

How to store Canna bulbs:

I live in Southwestern Ontario and I normally start digging them up around the last week of October. At this time they may still be flowering and it’s so tempting to enjoy them just a little longer.

Canna lilies are not winter hardy, and they will barely survive the first frost. Therefore, keep an eye on the weather forecast and dig them up, before the temperatures fall below 0 degrees Celsius.

Carefully dig up the bulbs, without breaking the long tubers. Gently shake off any excess soil. It’s best to keep smaller, white and healthy looking bulbs. Discard the dark coloured ones. When I dig up mine, I like to let them dry for 1 to two days in the sun (or air), before putting them away

Over the summer, I keep collecting and reusing plastic salad containers purchased from my store.
These are great for separating the bulbs in the container and preventing roots from growing together over the winter.
You could also wrap each one in a sheet of newspaper,
This step is not absolutely necessary, but I found it to be helpful., because the first time I overwintered my Cannas, I had quite a mess of tangled roots in the spring, as bulbs started to grow in my container.
As pictured above, I place a little layer of dry Peat moss (must be dry!) in each container, or place it on the bottom of the box.

Peat moss will keep the bulbs dry, and it prevents mildew and root rotting. I make sure to have a small  layer of peat moss around each bulb too.
That’s pretty much it.

My box has a lid, but if you use the cardboard box, simply use another sheet of newspaper, or cardboard to keep out artificial light or sunlight.

Light will encourage the bulbs to grow, so make sure to avoid this and keep your box covered.
You canna lily box is now ready to be stored in a dark, dry and frost free place like a heated garage or the basement.  I am using the furnace room in my basement.
Enjoy your Canna lilies come summer!

Update:

It’s springtime and my Cannas are ready for a new season!

View the images and spring planting tips to be posted!