Canna Lily overwintered and growing - what should I do?

I have overwintered a Canna lily indoors, whilst it continued flowering after frosts outside.





As they are normally overwintered dry and dormant, I%26#039;m unsure whether I should let it continue growing, or now let it die back. I assume it could be less of a shock if it%26#039;s dormant and divided, rather than me dividing it up, whilst growing.





Anyone overwintered Cannas that are growing / divided growing Cannas? Would appreciate your recommendations - thank you.

Canna Lily overwintered and growing - what should I do?
Canna are tremendously hardy plants. Last month I took the power hedge clippers and ran it across the whole lot of them, 50 or more plants, about 6%26quot; from the ground and they%26#039;re already shooting back up. I%26#039;ve also divided them mid summer, chopped them down to with in 6%26quot; of the ground and they came back like gang busters. My point is that it probably makes little difference either way. I%26#039;m in Southern California and last night it was 36F. For more information on Canna and other plants check out www.davesgarden.com
Reply:You don%26#039;t say where you live, and how much, or how severe, your winters are. No, they%26#039;re not winter-hardy, but they are tough. I usually dig mine up AFTER a freeze kills all the top growth. Actually, I procrastinated so much this year, that I didn%26#039;t dig them up until January. We had already had several snows, and lots of freezing temps, though nothing below 10F at the time I dug them. They were fine. If I leave them in the ground through the winter, when we commonly get periods of temps around 0F, then the corms will freeze and turn to mush.





I keep them in an unheated room - cool, dry, dark - for the winter.





I don%26#039;t know if they NEED the dormancy period though...If no one gives you a definitive answer, I would try keeping a couple growing through the winter inside the house, and store the rest. Just see if they have a preference.





As for dividing...since I have to lift them each winter, I divide them at that time, usually what I dig up is nearly twice as many roots as I planted, and they usually break on their own at weak points, when I%26#039;m pulling them up.



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