Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Yardening Fall 2013, 0 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Cat--

The only annuals worth saving are the more expensive ones--the ones
sold as "Premium Annuals" at about $4 each. $3 at the wholesale GH I go to.
Anything you can buy in a market pack is not worth saving..

Karen:
Thanks for your advice on the digging and storing. Read the info in the link too.
I differ slightly when it comes to cannas.
I dig up the HUGE clumps (2 of my Cannas--the red and orange ones) that
they can make DO NOT just have the new growth buds near the base of the old stem.
This DOES hold true with dahlias! Gotta have a bit of the old stem for the root
section to grow out.
The Canna "pips" can be anywhere--all along the dug up rhizozmes.
Also--because the Canna clumps can be pretty massive (see picture) too much soil
adheres to them. It is a good idea to try to remove the larger clumps of soil
and then allow the whole root mass to dry somewhere in the sun outside--assuming
it is still warm enough to do so.
I think drying them in a "cool, dark area where the temps do not go above 50* "
is asking for trouble. Cold air--NO sun--Damp clump of roots = potential rot.

I lay my Canna roots out to dry on my picnic table, turning them over to dry both sides.
I also leave some of the soil attached as they rest for the winter in my shop.
This (so I learned) helps keep the rhizomes from drying out too much.
Also--at this stage (as well as in the spring) the root-clumps are very fragile
and will break apart if handled too much. You want at least THREE eyes on each
division to plant out in the spring. They DO break apart easily--and many times I end up
with these single-eyed smaller sections. These are the ones I pot up (they WILL grow)
and share at Swaps.

What they said in the article (link) above is unrealistic--about having to have a section
of the old stem attached to each division.

Look at this clump! It is from the red Canna that "wind" passed along to many of us
This is the top of my big, concrete bird bath--and one clump filled it.
Behind it are smaller sections that broke off in the digging up process.

The second picture is of my neighbor's Orange cannas. Also massive.

Gita