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Tips and tricks to step up your gardening
It's our hope that we can serve as a guide for gardeners of all skill levels, because making Bath, as well as our own landscapes, more beautiful benefits everyone. Gardening is both an art and a science, all it takes is a little time and effort to grow your skills. Feel free to browse this section for some tips and tricks you can apply in your own backyard! Happy Gardening!
Overwintering Cannas - "What I Do"
By Jennifer Clements - March 2025
After a frost, I gather all of my potted Cannas and Elephant Ears and dig up any I've directly planted into the ground, usually using a pitchfork. The roots are pretty shallow. It's important to let the frost hit them and let the frost blacken the foliage before digging them. And it gives you more time to enjoy them!
I then cut the foliage down to about 6 inches and brush off as much soil as possible. Next, I lay them out on newspaper for about 2 weeks to continue to dry out (so save your West Side Leaders for a few weeks beforehand!). This is when you'll want to check them for damage or rotting pieces and remove those. You can also separate the rhizomes at this point More plants to share! You'll want to label the different cultivars and keep them separate from each other. It's easy to think you're going to remember which one's which, but when all the roots look the same, you may not. I check o them regularly to keep removing soil and checking for any rotted tubers.
Once I'm sure that they're dry and most of the soil is removed, I wrap them in dry news paper and put them in open kitty litter boxes and put them in my basement. If you're doing multiple types of plants, you'll want to label them well and/or keep each type separate. Once that foliage is cut off, unless you're more of an expert, they look alike and you'll have to wait til spring to determine which plant you have!
I've also read that Cannas can also be overwintered by placing the sorted rhizomes into heavy-duty garbage bags. The garbage bags will help maintain a good level of humidity without adding extra moisture. Petitti's recommends treating them with sulfur and storing them in newspaper, peat moss, or vermiculite in breathable containers.
Just make sure to label bags or containers of rhizomes carefully with tags. You can also use a Sharpie to write directly on the rhizome itself. You'll thank yourself later! I'll check o them a bit right afterward but then usually leave them until about late March. Maybe once a month would be good to check for mold.
Find a cool, dark space that stays above freezing but below 55 throughout the winter. Non-fluctuating temperatures are best as they prevent early sprouting. Some great storage places to consider are: cellars, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, unheated garages, and deep cold frames. Avoid outbuildings, barns, potting sheds, etc. as they often tend to fall below freezing in the deep winter. If you see early re-sprouting, it's okay but means your temperatures need to be a bit cooler.
Potting Up
Then 6-8 weeks before out last frost, say mid-March, you can start the potting up process. This gives the plants a head start. As you pull out all the of overwintered rhizomes, re-inspect them and throw away any that are rotten or diseased. Then, in pots with drainage holes, fill pot half full with potting soil, place in the Canna rhizome, looking for the eye and point that up. If the "handle" is still on there, that'll make it easier to determine the direction. Then cover that up to about an inch from the top of the pot.
At this point, I put them in the garage for a few weeks. Petitti's directions say to water them until the water runs out two times. They also suggest putting them in bright, indirect light. The warmer the temperature, the faster they'll grow. I don't have the space for that, so they stay in the garage. Just don't let them get below 40 degrees. After that, only water when they're dry. After the last frost, say mid-May, start transitioning them to outside; first in shade, then in part shade, then sun. Give them time to adjust to the light. I bring them in if I think it's going to drop temperature in the evenings though. Then when it's finally warm enough, pick a spot to plant them or place your containers and enjoy!
