You could, but will most likely not reach full potential in your zone this summer. You will have to dig and store them this winter. Iwould wait 'till spring and start fresh. Just my opinion.

Thanks mucci. I will post a pic of the cannas when it arrives. I would like to ask opinion if they should be planted to stored. It should be here by weekend. I also contacted a nursery this morning and she told me that it's fine to plant them just like what you mentiond.

So, do some variety of cannas really grow tall? I'm hoping that my Canna Black Knight and Canna Mystique will grow at least 5' to 7' next year. Oh, did I buy a good variety?

Thanks!

oh, can I bring one inside the house so I can have it as a design? Will it live? If so, how do we maintain canna inside the house?

If you pot them then you can grow them inside but they like high humidity and direct sunlight.

I am also zone 5 and it's fine to plant right now. I plant most of my cannas outside and pull them up in the fall. Cut the plants off and store the rhizomes someplace that won't get below 40 degrees. Then come June 1 they're ready to plant again.

Could elaborate on how you store them?

stylePosted by slfairless (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 08 at 11:00

If you pot them then you can grow them inside but they like high humidity and direct sunlight.
I am also zone 5 and it's fine to plant right now. I plant most of my cannas outside and pull them up in the fall. Cut the plants off and store the rhizomes someplace that won't get below 40 degrees. Then come June 1 they're ready to plant again.

Thanks slfairless!!! :)

I just received my 6 cannas today, 4 rhizomes and 2 tall ones about 30". Pic below.

I'm very worried that if I plant them outside now, will it get shocked due to extreme heat we have now? It's been 3 days now that we are in between 90F and 100F.

What month do you pull it? Last week of October? And for planting, is it risky if we plant them first week of May?

Please let me know.

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Here is an update folks about my canna! I have planted them. I placed them in separate pots. I also divided one big rhizome bulb into 2 using a saw. So I have total of 6 bulbs.

My kids saw the big one and they said that the color and shape of the leaves are gorgeous. :)

By the way, in winter if I bring them inside and doesn't get enough sunlight, will it die?

Here is a picture of my front garden.

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Those look like red stripe, here's a pic of my red stripe...
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I wouldn't worry too much about the heat. Just give them lots of water and if the leaves start to get sunburn move them to a spot that gets afternoon shade. Once they have a chance to acclimate then they they should be fine in full sun.

As for winter storage, I just keep an eye on the weather through the fall and move all my potted tropicals inside before the night time temps start dipping into the danger zone. Anything you have planted in the yard will be fine until the ground starts to freeze so I just pick a warm day late in the fall and start pulling it up. Cut the growth back to the rhizomes and use the hose to rinse off all the dirt. Leave them out to dry completely before you store them. Any moisture could turn into mold and/or they could rot. Throw them into a box or bucket but leave the top open so they can breath and store them someplace cool/dark for the winter. I check on mine here and there just to make sure they are doing okay. If they start to look too dry, like they are starting to shrivel, then I'll spritz them with a little water. I lose more rhizomes to them drying out then to anything else but you really have to find that happy middle between too much moisture (mold/rot) and not enough (shrivel up). You want them to stay dry, just not too dry.

Give it a shot and see how it goes, if you lose them contact me in the spring and I'll send you a flat rate box full of red stripe rhizomes :)

As for spring planting, you really have to be careful of the rhizomes rotting. If the ground isn't warm enough to trigger root growth then your rhizomes will just rot. If you do decide to plant them outside before June 1 then spend a few sunny days flipping the soil to let the sun heat it up. Plant the rhizomes on a sunny day and only cover it with about 1/2 inch of black dirt, make sure they are full sun, and don't water or mulch until you see top growth. I always end up getting spring fever and throwing a few in early but only of the varieties that I have extra and don't mind losing a few.

I hope this helps!

I don't see your picture.

So once you see new growth, do you dig them up again and plant them deeper like at 6"?

Thanks for all the tips! :) I really appreciate it!!!

No I never cover my canna with more than an inch or so of dirt. I have some spots around my ponds that I just loosen up the soil and set it on top, then cover the rhizome with mulch. The roots grow down into the soil and it does just fine. Keep in mind, you're going to be digging this stuff back up in the fall. I pull up about 150-200 rhizomes every fall so to avoid breaking my back, damaging other plants roots, and leaving a path of destruction through my gardens, shallow planting works best. Plus, keep in mind that the deeper you go the colder the soil is and the more likely you are to have rhizomes rotting.

Got it! So 2 inch is enough. I do understand the difficult work of diggin them out. Where I want to put it is an open area. Not sure if it'll get pulled during strong storm. Do cannas make deep roots?

Thanks again!

They aren't too deep but they have a tendency spread and are good about surdying themselves. My red stripe get about 8' tall and I haven't had any fall over, even in high winds. The rhizomes might be 2-4 inches thick so by the time you cover with a couple inches of soil the bottom if the rhizomes is 4-6 inches under ground. Plus they drop pretty thick roots.

When fall clean up comes around grab ahold of a few stems and try pulling the clump out without doing any digging :)