Can I alternate Tulips/Daffodils and Gladiolus/Dahlias?

I'm putting in a bed about 30'x5' this spring of Gladiolus and Dahlias. I'm in Zone 6b so I know I'll have to dig them in the fall if I want them for the following year. I was wondering if when I dig them in the fall I could just sow in Tulips and/or Daffodils, then in the spring once they've started to die off and it's time to replant my Glads and Dahlias I could just swap them out again? Can I 'save' Tulip/Daffodil bulbs or are they an annual? Thanks!

In your area, both tulip and daffodil bulbs will be perennial. Daffodils are strongly perennial in probably 90% of the continental US and will last for years and years - even decades if thinned every few years. Tulips will likely return for you for at least a few years. The dahlias and glads of course you'd have to dig (though some glads might overwinter for you if you're in 6b), but at least you wouldn't have to bother with the spring-blooming bulbs as they're good to stay just where they are!

Great! Now I'll be able to have flowers Early Spring through Late Fall.

ligladlover, it sounds like a lot of work to me but i think it is an excellent idea. I think it is probably especially beneficial for the tulips as they usually decline every year because they get too much summer moisture.

Hi Len. It is a bit of work but since I'll be digging and planting my glads and dahlias at opposite times of when I would need to be putting in/pulling out the tulips and daffodils there's no real extra work.

I was just reading this thread. I am in zone 8 and am wondering about my dahlias. I planted lots of tubers last year and had a spectacular display of dahilias. I didn't dig them up at the end of the season because I didn't think I needed to because of my zone. I cut them down to 1" from the ground after the foliage had died back. My problem is that I haven't seen anything come up this year...zip and my daffodils have come and gone. Anyone out there in zone 8 that can help me with this question?

i'm not in zone 8, but i think there are daffodils that do better in your zone and don't need the cold stratification. hopefully you have those. as for dahlias, it probably isn't time for them. If you're like me, you get impatient and since i don't keep a diary of when they came up before i always think that i must have lost them! but now i figure on about a month after i start to expect them.

I've noticed that most of the sites that sell Dahlias list them as beginning to bloom in July so it's probably a bit early for yours to begin sprouting. I'd give it until at least the end of April before you begin to worry.

tfranklin
I live in the South Bay which I usually consider to be Zone 9a and my dahlias are just beginning to sprout--just the tiniest tips of leaves, so I think yours will be visible soon. I never dig my dahlias. Also, since it has been a while since our last rain and my soil is very well drained, I gave mine a gentle drink last week.--thinking that if they were sprouting underground the roots might need a bit of moisture.

Chris

thanks everyone for your tips on patience. i have never been one for keeping a journal but I am suspecting that it might be a good idea to start one.
thanks again for the tips.