Susan, Brent and Becky's and McClure & Zimmerman both have good prices on healthy tubers. Parks/Wayside has newer varieties that are very reasonable when they put them on 50-70% off clearance in May or June. Lowe's has them really cheap in spring, but those tiny tubers need ICU to grow, usually won't bloom the first year, and then they are almost always mislabeled as to variety, so I think that's a major bummer. Often Krogers has 6" Azalea pots crammed full of dwarf hybrids in flower that can be cheaper & more reliable than ordering dormant tubers if you like those kinds. Didn't have to wait for the Wednesday cold front here. My whole backyard jungle froze and turned to mush last night. Time to start piling leaves over everything. Keiko

I watched a video on growing Cannas from seed. I live in Ont. ..so I waited until the pods turned brown..almost black... https://youtu.be/ocyDPVSAD3M I opened them and saved the seeds in a dry container. In March, I took sandpaper, and sanded each seed SLIGHTLY ...just until I just saw the white part inside. I then put them in a clear glass of water in a warm place until I could see a little white "bud" protruding...this could take 1 week, so be patient! Plant them in light soil, just below the top, under ANY kind of light...I used a regular florescent bulb. (You don't need anything fancy, or sunlight)Keep the soil moist, not wet. When they get bigger, take them outside during the day, when the warm weather permits to "harden" them. (Gets them used to being outside) Transfer outside when frost is finished...usually around June 1st. Mine bloomed the first year! The seeds were from a red canna...so far, they are YELLOW!!! I'm very pleased and excited! =)

Hi I think this is one of those plants that defines the difference between 9&10. For me they degenerate over time. That cooler winter seems to be essential. Have much better luck with tropical aroids. I love them but finally gave up lol Note they are a "noxious weed" in 10 California.?? In their native S.A. they grow in swamps which seem to dry up during part of the year. Oh well i can always grow them as annuals. gary

I planted mine recently, although it'd probably be safer to wait until 5/15. Regular garden soil is great, although I do hit everything with 20-20-20 fertilizer once in spring. Mine are happy in part sun and they have gorgeous pink blooms. If I had it to do over, I'd buy ones with spotted leaves so they'd look interesting even when they're not blooming. Two things you need to know...cut the spent blooms when they start to develop seed pods. On my plants, this is obvious because the blooms get too heavy for the stems and they flop on the ground. Maybe you could eventually get new plants from the seeds, but it's quicker/easier to let the plant's energy go to the roots so they multiply and you get new plants from them. Sort of like what we do with daffodil bulbs. Second, they won't survive a zone 5 winter. Dig them up around October. It's easy. They have shallow roots. For every round root you planted, there should be 2 or 3 roots, all attached together, to dig up. I just knock the dirt off, as much as possible, and pop them in a labeled paper grocery bag. Store them where they won't freeze over winter (I have a little unheated room off my garage). Next spring, you'll have extras to give away or trade.