New Bulb gardener with many questions...

Hello, Everyone -

I am a new "avid" flower gardner and have some bulb/tubor related questions I would appreciatel help with. I live in southern Connecticut (zone 6) I will number them to hopefully make it easier to answer:

1)Tulips & Hyacinths - bought a LOT of these but I would like to plant them in large containers and a few portable window-box shaped containers this fall that I can move around next spring and then move out of the way once flowering is done to let the foliage live out its time. Question: will they be okay if the containers are above ground all winter? i.e. will the cold hurt the bulbs through the pots?

2)Daliahs - have a few of these I have grown in pots sunk in the garden this year. Will be storing these in foam coolers in my attic (unheated) for the winter. question: the best time to lift these - after the first hard frost?

3)Canna Lilys - have about 6 of these I have grown in large pots this year- they flowered wonderfully! When do I lift these for storage? Before or after frost kills the leaves?

4)In general - should bulbs/tubors be stored in plastic bags with sawdust, paper bags, newspaper or some other way..what do you suggest?

Thanks so much for your advise.

Diane in Connecticut

Diane
I can answer a couple of your questions maybe! I am in zone 5A so your zone 6 will be slightly different.
I store my bulbs in dry sand, I have used sawdust but have been happier with the sand. I just put them in a plastic dishpan filled with sand and bury them and then take then to a dark spot in the basement until spring.
I've always been told that dahlia's need to come out after the first hard frost so you are right on target with that. Storing in unheated attic should be okay if temp is not too warm.
The tulips and cann lillies I'm just not at all sure about for zone 6, but I'm sure someone else will know.
Hope this helps.
Alice

tulips need cold to bloom the following year. down here in the south we keep them in the freezer before planting due to this fact.

as far as cannas. best to leave in ground until died back. as far as storing them i dont know because we dont get snow or anything like that here in Sc. but i leave mine in the ground here. hope this helps some. imzadi

KRNYSGIRL:

I'll just share my 'in the pot' experiences. 2 years ago I thought I would like to have hyacinth bloom in the big pot by the drive. This was a large pot, it holds 4 cubic feet of soil. In the spring when I should have had flowers, NOTHING! Later on I dug them up and they were mush. I was told the freeze/thaw cycles are what did them in. You might want to insulate them with straw or leaves or something to prevent the fluctuations.

Good planting!

This message was edited Sep 30, 2003 9:43 AM

Dahlias and Cannas - when the frost knocks them back lift them, dry them for a week or 2 and store in damp peat to stop dessication

Tulips and Hyacinths will be OK in the window boxes

Bulbs and tubers stored in plastic bags will make them go mouldy. Saw dust will dry them out. Best to keep them stored in damp peat in a small box like a tomato box

Dear Krnysgirl:
It is imperative that you check on your Dahalia tubers about twice a month for the first few months and then once a month after that. ( Gives you a estimate on how shriviled the tubers are getting)

If they are shrivelled. you have to hydrate them. Unfortunately my advice came too late for me. The tubers never "bounced back" It is a delicate balance between how much moisture to apply. In the past I have thought I had done the right thing but at the next check they were rotten.

I also do not have a cold room in the basement and it has been a challenge for me over the years to keep the tubers over the winter in a heated basement.

I will be following this thread with interest.

A light dusting of Flowers of Sulphur will keep moulds away