Canna lily for winter

When you take in your canna lily for the winter, do you take it in as bulbs (cut down the greenery) or as in potted plants? Mine is starting to grow two new leafstarts. If as bulbs, do you dry and keep them in the basement until next spring? As potted plants, do they just sit around in their greenery until next year? I am new to the canna/calla lilies. Thanks, Karen Shaver (liebran)

Not sure what others do but this is what I do. After the first killing frost, I cut off the stalks, leaving 3-4", and dig the tubers. Knock off the majority of dirt - if really wet, leave them lay out to dry for a day or two. Then pile them in a half bushel basket and haul them to the basement. There they stay till spring. Some peeps pot them up in the spring so they get a headstart and I think I like that idea. I'm gonna try doing that with some. Laura

How do you keep mice from them? I had to put my dahlias in a plastic box for the winter, would that do for them? Karen

That's the same method I've been succesfully using for some years now. Be careful with plastic; if it's too air tight it can hold moisture and cause rot. While carrying a tub of canna rhizomes out to plant a couple of years ago, a mouse jumped out and ran down my arm! And somehow I did'nt just drop the whole thing in the floor, lol. They had a nest in there, but none of the rhizomes were eaten, so I guess cannas aren't palatable to them. This year I'm going to put some dcon in the bottom of the boxes.

At least it ran down your arm and not up your sleeve! I had one go up a pant leg once. It was an interesting dance.

OK--so my answer is: I don't keep mice out . Just check well before I pick them up next spring. Thank you all for the info. Karen

I'm going to TRY to use some screen material around some of my containers. I know that the mice could probably eat through the screen, but then at least I'd know there was a possible problem before I opened them up. And me with three cats!

Well, I guess it's more like, keep the mice out for your sake more than the canna's, lol.

I had a mouse run up my pants leg once too! Ticker, we would have made great dance partners!

Right now we have had temps go to 32, but not a real freeze. Yesterday I noticed that the edges of the canna leaves look like they have been burned (frost bit??) So do you think it is wise to get them out of the ground now? We are to have temps stay in the 50's night and day the next week. Karen

I'm completely new to calla lilies and I have just three bulbs but they all grew nicely and bloomed this past summer (in containers). Two of them appear to be dormant, or getting there. The leaves are pretty much brown and wilted. The third is heading in that direction but still has a ways to go. I brought the containers inside when frost was in the forecast. Should I treat these bulbs as described above for cannas? Could I keep them in a refrigerator with the temp set to about 40? I have a small fridge that my son used in his dorm room and I use it just for refrigerating bulbs and the like.

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

nutmegnana - this is also my first year with callas. I followed my neighbor's advice - she has really large clumps of beautiful looking callas every year. Dig them up carefully, cut off the leaves abt 1/2" above rhizome and put them in the basement for the winter. That's all she does so that's what I'm doing. :) Her basement is cooler than mine so I hope mine will be ok. I found these online-
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1117.html

Another site -

Thanks, Kooger. That's exactly the info I was looking for. Our basement is much too warm and I'm afraid our garage might get too cold. I'm thinking I might pack them in peat and keep them in a small fridge that I have just for storing plants in the winter.