Hi KTeach,

I live in the south and we can plant cannas still, really into fall as long as they get some roots in the ground, maybe with some mulch depending on how late they get planted. For you, I would try planting some to keep the rhizomes healthy, as they will send up some foliage which will help to feed them, then lift in a couple of months or so when you get your first cold snap. Some folks have planted them in pots and just move them to the garage when it gets real cold. Maybe some other folks in the colder zones could chime in with better advice, as I have not experienced the yearly lift ritual that would be necessary with more serious winters. Hope this helps.

Nicole

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1789135/9-things-ive-learned-about-canna-in-zone-5-storage-planting?n=95

This discussion in the canna thread has some great advice from a gardener who uses what she describes as a canna trolley to bring her canna collection in and out of the garage to protect them during the winter. Her comments are the more recent comments on this post.

I live in 6a and I have the same question. Is it too late to put canna bulbs in the ground (close to the house to avoid freezing over the winter) or would it be better to try to keep them healthy and plant next summer? I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep them that long out of the ground - I don't always have great luck with that.

How do you propose to keep them healthy without planting them? That'd be some trick. Plants belong in the ground...