Cold hardiness & minimum temperature
Is Canna 'Wyoming' (Canna 'Wyoming')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp
Also called Wyoming canna, Canna lily.
More about canna 'wyoming'
About Canna 'Wyoming'
Canna 'Wyoming' · also called Wyoming canna, Canna lily · flowering
Canna 'Wyoming' is a striking cultivar combining broad, chocolate-brown to bronze foliage with vivid tangerine-orange flowers produced freely throughout summer. Reaching 1.5-2 m, it is a bold, easy-to-grow choice for sunny borders, pots, and tropical-themed plantings. One of the most popular cannas in cultivation. Mildly toxic to some animals.
Cold limit: USDA 7-11 · RHS H2 (15-35°C)
Watch for — Frost and overwintering: Not frost hardy in the UK and colder US regions. Lift and store dry rhizomes in frost-free conditions after the first autumn frost.
What canna 'wyoming''s hardiness rating actually means
Canna 'Wyoming' is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 7-11 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.
New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.
Minimum temperature — and what happens below it
Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Canna 'Wyoming' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.
Concretely, for canna 'wyoming' as it gets too cold:
- Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
- A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
- Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.
Can canna 'wyoming' go outside or overwinter — and where?
- It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate.
- In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
- A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.
Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when canna 'wyoming' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.
Frost protection for borderline canna 'wyoming'
Canna 'Wyoming' is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:
- Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
- Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
- Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
- Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.
Canna 'Wyoming' hardiness — frequently asked questions
Is canna 'wyoming' cold hardy?
Canna 'Wyoming' is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 7-11 (and sheltered UK gardens) canna 'wyoming' can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.
What is the minimum temperature canna 'wyoming' can survive?
Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Canna 'Wyoming' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.
What hardiness zone is canna 'wyoming'?
Canna 'Wyoming' is rated USDA 7-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.
Can canna 'wyoming' survive winter outside?
It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.
How do I protect canna 'wyoming' from frost?
Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.
Keep reading
- Canna 'Wyoming' care — the full brief (light, water, soil, problems, pet safety)
- USDA hardiness zones — find yours and what grows there
- Is canna 'wyoming' hardy in the UK? — the RHS-rating version
- RHS hardiness ratings — the UK system explained
- Frost-date calculator — your real outdoor window
- The USDA hardiness zone map, explained
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