One of the great beauties of the Summer Mixed, Mixed
Perennial, or Cottage Border is the spectacular group of bulbs known as Summer
Bulbs. 
The Summer Bulbs with their
wide variety of colour and shape add a great deal of interest to our gardens
throughout the summer. Most of the
summer bulbs will continue to bloom well into early autumn.
At this point many gardeners do not know how to properly treat these
beauties for the winter. This confusion on which bulbs that are lifted and stored for
the winter and those that are not is enough to confuse most people.
Adding to this confusion is when and how to treat them makes many gardeners
use the tender summer bulbs as Horticultural annuals.
It really is not that difficult in fact some of the variables allow you
to do them at different times spreading out your workload in the autumn.
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Begonia
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Begonia
X tuberhybrida
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Dig
after one light frost touches the foliage and seals the stems. DO NOT
ALLOW BULBS TO FREEZE
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Store
in dry or barely moist vermiculite or Peat Moss at 45°
to 55°F
Check
often for rot.
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Calla
Lilly
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Zantedeschia
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Dig
after one light frost touches the foliage.
DO NOT ALLOW BULBS TO FREEZE
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Store
in dry or barely moist vermiculite or Peat Moss at 45°
to 55°F
Check
often for rot.
Do
not let medium dry or bulbs shrivel. Moisten if necessary
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Canna
Lily
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Canna
X generalis
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Lift
after the leaves have been turned black by the frost. You do not have to
wash off the soil but I do gentlely wash off only excess soil and allow
them to dry in the sun for the day. DO NOT LET THEM FREEZE
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Store
in dry sand or peat at 40°
to 45°F.
I
like to store them upside down.
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Dahlia
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Dahlia
Hybrids
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After
several good frosts dig them up and turn them upside down to allow the
moisture to drain away and place in a warm area until the leaves and stems
are dry.
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Do
not remove any attached soil. Store them with it attached in dry peat but
dry vermiculite is better at 40°
to 55°
F. Check the bulbs for rot
frequently.
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Gladiolus
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Gladiolus
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Lift
in the autumn and cut off the stems about 4 inches above the corm. Allow
drying in a warm area for several weeks. Then remove the old stems and a
few loose outer husks. Separate the young bulbs from the mother and dust
with a good soil and bulb dust. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO CONTROL
THRIPS
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Store
the corms loose in a warm dry area at 40°F
to50°F.
I like to use old clean onion bags to store them in. Check for Thrips and
dust again if necessary.
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Acidanthera
(Very
lightly fragrant)
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Acidanthera
murieliae
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Treat
the same as gladiolus but they bloom later so start them early (in Peat
Pots) to achieve good blooming before you have to lift them in the autumn
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Treat
the same as Gladiolus
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Anemone
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Anemone
coronaria
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Lift
after a light frost. Dry off any remaining tops. Hardy to Canadian Zone 7
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Store
in dry peat moss or dry vermiculite at 45°F
to55°F.
Check for rot occasionally.
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Mexican
ShellFlower
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Tigridia
pavonia
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Flowers
are reminiscent of orchids. Dig in early autumn and dry off in a warm
area.
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Store
at 50°F to 60°F
In dry vermiculite.
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Tuberose
(Highly
fragrant)
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Polianthes
tuberosa
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These
are very late blooming and should be grow here in pots. Lift pots before
frost and place in a sunny spot indoors to achieve blooming
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Treat
as a houseplant for as long as possible. Then allow to go dormant.
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