A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Lifting Canna

Mine are still flowering like there is no tomorrow. I know I planted them late this year. Should I just let them continue on like they are? They are in a concrete planter that is filled 2/3 of the way up with gravel and then has potting soil on top of that. I'm afraid that if I wait until they stop flowering I may catch an early frost and lose them entirely. I'm in zone 7a can someone advise me please.

Mine are in the ground and I will lift them after they die back in a few weeks. I may be wrong but I think you can leave yours in the planter till they die back also, you might even be able to leave them in there all winter. Someone will know better than I..

I am in zone 6 and need to watch carefully for frost warning news. Like you, mine are flowering like crazy. Stay tuned....

I think my landlord may be out there with the miracle grow "forcing it to bloom" if so I'm probably going to loose the canna and the marigolds that are out there. He just won't listen to reason. If they were in the ground I would leave them but the container freezes pretty solid and I think that would kill them off. Well all I can do is hope for the best.

Thankyou for the information.

I think you can wait till the frost "knocks down" the stalk. Then just dig em out. A few light frosts shouldn't hurt the bulb.

Thanks aunt B, I hope you are right. With all the fertilizer he's been putting on them I think I'll be able to divide them and have lots and lots next year if I don't lose them during this time. I'm a new gardener and have never done anything like this so I worry a lot lol.