Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Tropical bulbs that can be overwintered in zone 4, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Cannas are the best bargain for a tropical look, with their big, lush leaves in my opinion. You do have to lift them and store indoors over the winter, (as you will with glads and dahlia too) but they give such great results all through the summer, keeping on blooming as long as you keep 'em watered and fed. My daughter lives in Salt Lake, Zone 5, and she has several kinds of cannas that she stores in paper bags in the garage over winter, then starts them in a sunny window, in March or April so they'll leap right into flower when the weather warms up in May.

Cannas also come in a nice array of colors, beautiful variegated leaves, and every size from 18" to 9 feet tall. They love the sun and heat, and if they have any flaw at all it is that they also love lots of water. But if you've got a low spot in the sun, or a place where the down spout drains, they will fill that area with gorgeous leaves and flowers all season. Final plus is that they multiply dependably.

Glads are nice but bloom such a short time, then the foliage looks awful. We've found dahlias more fussy and disease-prone, too. Cannas look great, and tropical even when they're not blooming.

I've also tried Callas, but find they really like the weather rather cool, so once it gets hot they peter out. I grow the big white ones "Zantedeschia Aethopica " through the winter here in Florida in big pots, and once they start dying back, I let them gradually dry out then dig the bulbs and store them over summer in the shade in a bag of wood chip mulch. If you started them early, and had a long cool spring, you might get your money's worth out of some Callas. It's possible they'd go dormant through the hot weather, and you could store the pot in a shady spot, then bring them out to the sun again in fall for another bloom cycle before frost.

Other 'real' tropicals like brugmansias and plumeria, you could grow them big and enjoy them through the hot weather, then just take cuttings indoors for winter and keep small plants going until the next spring. That way at least you're just lugging small pots around.