You can't grow them outdoors in Chicago, but you can grow them in containers since they do very well in containers. The reason you can't dig them up and treat them like cannas is because they are very slow to grow and recover, and they will probably never bloom treated this way. Almost two years ago we had a nasty freeze in January with temperatures in the low 20s and all of the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae and nicolai) around town were toast. They burned to the ground, and it took over a whole year for them to recover and finally bloom again or even look normal. Just for you to get an idea of how slow they are to recover. There are many people in colder climates who grow them in containers and can provide tips for growing them in pots and overwintering them indoors. You could also do a google search on the topic. Good luck