Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Digging up bulbs for winter storage
Yesterday was about digging IN bulbs, today it’s about digging them OUT!
Gladiolas, dahlias, cannas, begonias and elephant ears to name a few, need to be dug up when the foliage is toast and then stored for the winter.
Clearly this canna is not finished! While it IS growing in a container, I will dig this up after it’s toast and store it. This will be a first with this ‘Cleopatra’ canna.
I’m excited to see what the bulbs look like on ‘Cleo’… she’s more resistant to Japanese beetles too. They don’t like the maroon parts of her leaves.
This year our Fall tree colors have been muted. Take a look at the difference from 2020 to 2021 in my Red Maple….
Now there are other mitigating circumstances. This maple had been under stress due to road construction in 2020 BUT it also received a LOT more water. From the company that laid the sod (they watered every other day for a month) to me watering it due to it’s stress. THIS year, it didn’t get that much water from me and this drought affected it a lot.
Okay…. on to what you came here for!
Dig up those bulbs (tubers, corms, rhizomes, etc.) after they’re through for the year.
Cut foliage back, so that only a couple of inches remain above ground. I use a garden fork, and sink it into the soil around the bulbs, being careful not to accidentally sever them and then gently lift them out.
Once you’ve dug the bulb up, shake the dirt off and set it aside. Once they’re all out of the ground, gently rinse the dirt off. EXCEPT GLADIOLAS – LEAVE THE DIRT ON THEM TILL THEY’VE DRIED
Then give them a good once over and check for rotten spots. If they’re small, you can cut them or throw them away. It’s the same with dahlias, cannas, gladiolas and other summer flowering bulbs. It’s important to dry them before storage.
More information on winter storage for bulbs from the University of MN Ext. And yet more from Wisconsin Master Gardeners
I thought 2020 was the last year for my Elephant ear that I’ve had since 2018… that was 3 years of loveliness… Turns out “the Ear” was not prepared to go! I stuck it behind my garage but she just was not done….
Now I’ve pulled out all the plants saving the sedum and the Elephant Ear!
This thing is AMAZING…. neglected, tossed out and STILL keeps on going. Because I don’t have a place in the living space of my home, I will dig it out of the big pot above and transfer it to a small one after the leaves are all spent then take it into the basement where it will be left alone… till next year!