QUESTION: How do I preserve canna bulbs over the winter? I have tried hanging them in onion bags, but they disintegrate.ANSWER: The keys are a certain untidiness and a cool storage site. Although you can proceed now, it's just as reasonable to let the first frost zap the foliage of the cannas, then cut down the stalks, leaving a few inches to hold onto. (But don't wait until a hard freeze arrives.) Dig them with a garden fork and — here's the first key — do not shake off the soil. In fact, avoid digging if the soil is dry, since it may all fall off. Place the rhizomes (technically they are not bulbs) "with the soil attached among crumpled newspaper in flat, open boxes, covering with a little more newspaper.The second key may be difficult, because the modern American home, all of it, tends to be warm and bone dry all winter long. A cool location that's not overly dry is best — just like the root cellars that no one has any longer. Find the coolest, non-freezing location you can.