Winter preparations

I'm sure they would survive with a thick mulch or often no mulch.

My personal problem with doing that has always been the late start into growth, in a cold spring it could be nearly June before you get any above ground shoots, flowers with then be pushed back till August at the earliest.

My trick for bringing undercover very wet pots is to place them on several thicknesses of news paper, it acts like blotting paper and draws excess moisture out the pot.
Probably wont work if there are crocks at the bottom of the pot though.

 

@PeterS , regarding the gingers, I'm pretty sure most will stop growing if you hold off on the watering.
Keep them on the dry side.

 

I moved all of my Cannas, in their pots, in to the greenhouse just before the frost last week. I've left most of the leaves on, only removing dead and damaged ones for now. Last winter I did this, eventually removing most of the growth down to about 12 inch and most came through the winter fine

 

No @JWK , its very basic , I do add bubble wrap to it for some insulation but forgot to add that when I cut them down 12 inches or so I also wrapped them in fleece.

Granted last winter was very mild (we only had one frost) but the winter before I also got about 60% through the winter doing the same thing

I'm never overly upset if I loose any of the ones that are easily grown from seed as the seed grown plants more often develop taller plants that still flower in the first year, however the saved rhizomes do produce more impressive clumps

 

That's interesting about the Jungleplants Cannas John, I have just received 2 small Ginger and 1 Canna Marshmallow tubers, they say to keep them at 20c+ but I am keeping them in the conservatory so I hope they will receive enough light not to become leggy.

I dug up my small Ensete maurelii and tilted it for water release and will pot it in a couple of days time and keep it dry in the greenhouse same with the larger green Ensete, Begonia Gryphon and Glowing Embers has been lifted for storing and that just leaves the 2 Colocasias.

 

I lifted my border Cannas this weekend . This year I have followed the advice JWK gleaned from Hart Canna. Mainly I left the majority of the damp soil on the rhizomes , cut the stems to about 6" and have stored them , in a cool garage , one or two to a large plastic trug. Sitting on 2" of old compost and then loosely covered with damp old compost . I have put a reminder on my computer calendar to check them every 5 weeks and water if getting a little dry.
Next job is to lift the dahlias , which must be stored bone dry I think ?

 

Only lifted the ensete's and sikkimensis upto yet. All the Cannas will be dug up this weekend. Built a shelter for the brahea before I went away.
Still got to build a shelter for the butia and chammy
A few dahlias to lift too as well as the hedychuims