The past two weekends haven’t been that conducive for outside work what with enough snow to build a little snowman two Sundays ago, and off and on downpours this past Saturday I have been hard pressed to find a good time for digging up my dahlias, cannas, gladioli, pineapple lilies, galtonias, Gloriosa lilies, begonias and a few other tender bulbs. Mostly I have been doing it in bits and pieces whenever I get a couple of hours of sunlight and free time.
Pineapple lily
Overwintering many species of tender bulbs is not difficult if you have the right storage conditions. Many like to be kept somewhere between 40 and 50 degrees F with moderate levels of humidity. This type of environment is sometimes more difficult to find in newer, energy efficient homes but it is not a problem in my old 1840’s cape with a dirt basement. I have several different microclimates there which I found by experimenting and use of a thermometer.
Some bulbs like tuberous begonias and caladiums should be brought in before a hard frost hits. Mine were brought into the basement a few weeks ago. I positioned them near a window and have been reducing the water they get so they will die back. Eventually I will cut back the dead foliage when it yellows but I leave the begonia tubers in their pots and keep them around 50 degrees F. I check them every couple of weeks and moisten them slightly if they seem dry.
The caladiums have been rotting on me the last two winters and I have had to buy new bulbs. I was thinking maybe it was just too cold where I had them so I am storing them around 60 degrees F this year to see if it makes a difference. The two I like the most are ‘Aaron’ and ‘White Christmas’ and I grow them in a large ceramic container in my white garden. Perhaps I should try growing them as a houseplant during the winter but maybe not until next year as the foliage has already yellowed.
Dahlias grow from tuberous roots which look a bit like sweet potatoes. Actually I believe some species of dahlias have been grown for their edible tubers. I think I will grow my dahlias for their glorious blooms and not food. After a few frosts, the dahlia plants blackened and I give them a week or more so they can translocate carbohydrates back to the tuberous roots. Then, the tops are cut back to about 2 or 3 inches above ground and I gently lift them using a spade or garden fork. The soil is shaken off, any earthworms lodged between the tubers picked out and then I leave them in the sun for an hour or more to dry slightly. I simply put the tuberous roots in buckets or large pots and lightly pack some used potting medium around them. Label the varieties. These buckets are staked on shelves and watered sparingly every 2 to 3 weeks.
Tuberous roots of dahlias
The cannas are a bit more challenging to dig up because some of the tubers are huge and it is heavy digging in wet soil. These I just cut the foliage back, brush the soil off, store in large plastic crates around 40 to 50 degrees F. They are so large that they don’t dry up over the winter like some of the smaller bulbs.
Gladioli are also good storers but they are prepared for storing in two steps. First cut back the foliage to about 6 inches and dig up the corm. These I leave in a tray in the cellar for a few weeks until the foliage and any remaining soil dries. If you look at your corms you will see that last year’s corm has withered and died but is still attached to the bottom of the new corm. If your plants were happy you will also see lots of baby corms which are called cormels. When dry, simply twist off the old corm and send it to the compost pile. You could collect the cormels and start them indoors. They are so small you would need to plant them right after digging or they will dry out. After twisting off the old corm and then twisting off any remaining dead foliage, the corms are fine just stored in an old grapefruit mesh bag around 60 degrees F.
Because the weather was not that cooperative at the beginning of the growing season, many plants grown in our gardens got off to a slower start than normal. I love rudbeckias for their large, vibrant, strong-stemmed cut flowers. Each year I grow 2 or 3 varieties from seed and one new one I tried this year was ‘Cherry Brandy’. I admit I started the seeds a little late this past spring but the slugs and the rain didn’t help the little transplants much. Finally in September they came into their glory and I thought ‘Cherry Brandy’ was a real winner although I did notice some powdery mildew.
Cherry Brandy
Until next time – think green thoughts!
Dawn
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