Wisconsin gardeners are stashing these 8 dahlias and cannas indoors before frost turns them to mush
When the nights turn crisp across Wisconsin, dahlias and cannas start living on borrowed time. These summer showstoppers cannot handle frozen ground, so smart gardeners dig up their tubers and rhizomes and tuck them away before the first hard freeze hits.
Milwaukee usually sees frost around September 28, while northern counties can freeze even earlier. Here are eight favorites worth saving, plus what makes each one special enough to haul indoors.
1. Wisconsin Red Dahlia
Passed hand to hand across backyard fences for generations, the Wisconsin Red Dahlia carries a little local history in every ruby bloom. Its flowers glow deep red against nearly black stems, giving it a dramatic look that shows off from across the yard.
Gardeners in Wisconsin love this heirloom because it forgives beginners. The tubers store well through winter without much fuss, which is exactly why it keeps getting shared.
Once a hard frost blackens the top growth, wait a week or two, then lift the clump gently. Shake off the soil, cut the stalks to a few inches, and let the tubers cure before boxing them up.
Come spring, this tough old favorite bounces right back for another season.
2. ‘Linda’s Baby’ Dahlia
Some flowers just seem built for a vase, and ‘Linda’s Baby’ is one of them. The peachy-pink, ball-shaped blooms sit on strong stems that hold up beautifully once cut, making this a treasure for anyone who loves fresh bouquets.
It blooms early and keeps producing, so Wisconsin gardeners get armfuls of flowers well into fall. That heavy output makes it worth every bit of digging effort.
Because it is such a productive plant, the tuber clumps can grow generous. Lift them carefully after the foliage dies back, divide if needed, and store them cool and dry so this reliable bloomer earns its spot in next year’s garden.
3. ‘Jomanda’ Dahlia
Rusty orange is having a moment, and ‘Jomanda’ nailed the color years ago. The tidy, ball-shaped blooms sit in a warm burnt-orange shade that pairs perfectly with the fall palette all over Wisconsin.
What sets this one apart is stamina. It keeps cranking out blossoms long after other varieties slow down, and the stems stay strong enough to skip most staking.
When frost finally takes the top, give the tubers their curing window before storage. Keep them somewhere that stays between 40 and 50 degrees, and this dependable performer will be ready to light up the garden again next summer.
4. ‘Café Au Lait’ Dahlia
Wedding planners went wild for ‘Café Au Lait,’ and it is easy to see why. These dinnerplate blooms open into huge, milky-pink faces that can span nearly the size of a salad plate, blushing softly toward the center.
The trade-off for that drama is size. The flowers are so big and heavy they need staking, and a Wisconsin thunderstorm can flatten an unsupported plant in minutes.
Handle the fat tuber clumps gently when you dig them, since they bruise easily. After curing, pack them in peat moss or vermiculite with a little air flow.
Your Wisconsin Garden Changes Every Week. Your Plan Should Too.
Gardening in Wisconsin changes quickly throughout the season. Every Friday you’ll receive a simple weekly plan showing exactly what to plant, prune, fertilize, harvest, and protect so you never miss the right timing.
Protect these beauties through winter and you will be rewarded with showstopping arrangements again next year.
5. Canna ‘Tall Tropicanna’
Nothing screams tropical quite like ‘Tall Tropicanna,’ with its striped bronze leaves that catch light like stained glass. Topping the foliage are tangerine-orange, iris-shaped blooms that stand tall above a Wisconsin border.
The foliage alone makes this canna worth growing, even before the flowers arrive. It brings big, jungle-style drama to yards that see snow just a few months later.
For cannas, timing works a little differently. Wait until a light frost blackens the leaves, then dig the rhizomes before the ground freezes hard.
Cure them just two or three days, then store them cool and dry so this bold beauty returns.
6. Canna ‘Australia’
Deep, glossy leaves in bronzy purple make ‘Australia’ look almost too rich to be real. Add large red flowers on top and you have a plant that fills big empty spaces with confident color.
Landscapers reach for this variety when they need reliable impact, and it delivers season after season in Wisconsin beds. The dark foliage stays handsome even between flushes of bloom.
Its rhizomes are chunky and easy to handle at digging time. Once the frost signals dormancy, lift them, brush off the dirt, and let the skin toughen for a couple of days.
Stored in a frost-free basement, they overwinter without complaint.
7. Canna ‘Kreta’
If you want to invite hummingbirds to the party, ‘Kreta’ rolls out the welcome mat. Its prolific red blooms rise above broad green leaves and just keep coming, earning it a reputation as a non-stop bloomer.
The classic green foliage gives it a slightly softer, more traditional look than the dark-leaved types. Yet the sheer volume of flowers keeps Wisconsin gardens buzzing with life all summer.
Come autumn, treat it like its canna cousins. A killing frost tells you it is time, so dig the rhizomes, cure them briefly, and stash them somewhere dark and cool around 40 to 50 degrees.
Next year the show starts all over again.
