How would cannas do in heavy clay soil and would you have to pull them up to overwinter them in zone 8a?

I grew them in Ohio which had heavy clay soil but overwintering them was a pain and I haven't grown them since.

I grew them in zone 6 and planted them deep and they came back every year. I did mulch them in the fall before winter. They grow fast once they get going and get quite tall w/o getting wide, and are not invasive.

Pyewacket said: How would cannas do in heavy clay soil and would you have to pull them up to overwinter them in zone 8a?

Cannas do great in clay soil! I've never had to worry about overwintering in my area.
Unfortunately, they do poorly in my dry sand.

Frillylily said: I am not even aware of anyone who was ever hospitalized from merely having castor bean foliage touch them as they passed by or worked near it. Is that a thing?
I am actually planting out my castor seeds this week...

Castor beans often self sow at my house... I sometimes collect mature seed and stuff into vole tunnels.
Supposedly one seed may be enough to kill you... if you chew it up.

I can't find the article that makes that claim... But here:
https://www.poison.org/article...

I'm not sure about the foliage being toxic, but I wouldn't try eating the leaves...

So many ornamental plants are toxic. And food crops are not all completely benign. I get a rash from tomato plant leaves if I touch them enough out in the sun. I can't pick figs because of the latex sap. Everybody knows you shouldn't eat a green potato. Most of my houseplants have sap that will give me a rash. My skin has some unusual sensitivities that not many people have, but the point is that there aren't just a few toxic plants and the rest are harmless. Many plants can have various toxicity issues.

This is going away from the topic of discussion. Additional comments about toxic plants are encouraged and welcome here:
The thread "Mystery poison ivy, contact dermatitis rash" in Houseplants forum

Dewberry, you can also plant with the purpose of attracting specific kinds of wildlife to your yard. If you are able to see the area in question from your windows, or outside seating area, that can be very rewarding to watch birds usually, enjoying and using a habitat you've created.

Is it chain link or something like that? I know that something like pachysandra or honey suckle can make you think you are not looking at a fence. Just pick a climbing plant that grows fast and fills in all the holes.

My first thought was what @breith95 said. Sulphur cosmos is an annual, but reseeds for me every year and grows up to 6 feet. My soil is also clay. The only thing bad is that a strong wind knocks them down, but if it is up against a fence, that may not be a problem.