Canna: over wintering.

Posy

I have grown a canna lily for the first time this year. Please could you advise me about how to keep it over winter. I do have a frost-free greenhouse.

Fairygirl

In some areas they can stay outside with protection, if the ground is free draining, but if you have frosts, they need a greenhouse or similar 

Posy

Thanks  FG. Should they be taken out and stored like dahlias or left in pots and watered sparingly? Or  indeed,  generously?

KeenOnGreen

Same question from me too.  I moved mine into pots this year.  We have an unheated greenhouse. 

Fairygirl

I've always had to bring them into my house, apart from when I had a conservatory. They just sat there, in their pots, not in any sun, until they started growing again. Then I did the usual watering a bit and repotting etc 

KeenOnGreen

We don't have the space to bring the garden pots indoors for Winter, so the greenhouse it shall be.  I'll wrap the pots in bubble wrap or fleece, but do I need to water them during Winter, or is it OK to let the soil completely dry out?

punkdoc

I chop mine to the ground and bring them under cover.
It is best to keep them very slightly damp.

Hostafan1

I split a massive clump last year, so , technically all the same plant. I dug some up and moved them into the polytunnel and left some in the ground in heavy soil over one of the wettest Devon winters and those in the ground emerged later, but soon caught up and over took those I planted out. 
I'm not lifting any this winter

strelitzia32

I cut mine down and keep in pots in an unprotected greenhouse over winter, no bubble wrap or fleece etc, just straight on the floor. A light watering once or twice over the whole winter does the trick for me (although the pots are large so they don't dry out.

Dovefromabove

ours goes into the garage before the frosts start. It’s in a huge container so dries and  slowly doesn’t need watering all winter. I do remove the leaves as they die off by tugging them away from the base to guard against rot setting in, but otherwise it gets ignored until March
when it’s repotted and brought into the light and warmer studio. It doesn’t go out until around  mid June. 

KeenOnGreen

Great, sort of similar to what I do with my Dahlia's.  We get lots of unseasonally warm days in Winter these days, and the greenhouse regularly gets quite warm, so I find I have to water the pots a little more often than one would expect.