Gladiolas felled by storm

Delray Beach, FL(Zone 10b)

Last night's storm raged thru and left my glads lying horizontally on the ground. Luckily, they were mostly done blooming. I cut the few blooms left and but them in a vase. The glads are in two buckets at the moment. (I put some compost in the bottom of the buckets. They are getting rained on, yet again, at the moment.)

I usually wait until the leaves turn brown, dig up and divide the glads, store the bulbs inside for the winter, and plant again in spring. Do I need to replant them so that the leaves can feed the bulbs? Do you think I can snip and store them early this year? Should I do something else?

I have to come up with a different scheme for next year. I have been wanting to experiment with papercrete if it ever stops raining here. One of my gardening resolutions for next year is that all fussy overwintering plants including the glads have containers for their growing season. My garden has gotten too full of plants for the dig up put back routine. Today, I kept getting my behind stuck by the roses. Then, I turned around and got my hair stuck. What a comedy routine.

Thumbnail by GardenQuilts
Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

I started putting all my flowers in large containers last year and so love it. Plants don't get as big but it does'nt stop the blooming. Much easier to care for and you can move them anywhere,anytime.
Good luck
Vickie

central, NJ(Zone 6b)

GQ I would think it would be too cold by you to keep them in containers over winter. Mine overwinter in the garden here. I too had to cut and bring them in a vase.

Thumbnail by flowAjen
Delray Beach, FL(Zone 10b)

flowerjen, in late fall, I dig the glads up and store the bulbs inside for the winter. I plant them out in spring. Next year I will plant them in containers instead of the garden, but still bring the bulbs in for winter. I plan to leave the containers outside-bulbless.

My glads were a "surprise" from the bf. I had left them in the garden overwinter, but had dwindling amounts come back. I read in my bulb books that zone 6 is borderline for glads overwinter. Mine are probably more vulnerable because their garden spot is near the "drip line" of the roof overhang. When I dug them up and divided them, I got many more bulbs/plants/flowers.

Under normal circumstances, I fertilize them when they finish blooming and wait for the leaves to turn brown. This is an "abnormal" year in so many ways, I am not sure what to do with them.

At the moment, they are in large pails with compost and dirt in the bottom on the north side of my home in filtered shade. I think I will try to keep them in that area until fall. (Normally they are on the south side.) Hopefully, they will still be able to build up more energy inthe bulbs.

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