I’ve never been a summer gardener before — I’ve focused on the spring (especially early spring) garden, and I admit that July / August has tended to be pretty neglected in my garden, which is funny, because that’s when most gardens are flourishing. But I’m often traveling, and I don’t water enough, and everything struggles as a result.
This year, though, I decided not to travel in July / August, and as a result, I’m here to take care of things, and I’m enjoying some of what I planted for this time of year. The prairie plantings are going strong, of course — coneflowers and monarda in abundance, whether I water or not. But I actually got some gladioli, dahlias, and cannas in the ground on time (around the time you plant tomatoes), and they’re blooming now.
All of these are tender for our zone — they might survive in a very sheltered location if well-mulched, but I’m planning to lift and overwinter them. They should get bigger corms / bulbs (?) over time, and eventually be able to be divided.
It’s going to be a lot of digging up after first frost — if I end up having work travel then, I’m going to have to make sure to hire someone to come get them. The first two years I planted dahlias, I faithfully saved and overwintered them, delighting in how much bigger they’d gotten, and I think it was the third year (when I was going through cancer treatment) that I completely failed to dig them up, and of course, they all rotted in the ground. I’m pretty sure I cried (though I was crying at everything that year, admittedly).
I know some gardeners plant them in pots that they then sink in the ground, making it easier to lift them, presumably — that sounds smart, but I haven’t tried it yet.
The first photos is “Starface” gladiolus, a 1960 introduction, offered by Old House Gardens — out of stock right now, but check back next spring: https://oldhousegardens.com/store/bulb-info/SGL35
(good instructions on that page for overwintering)
I am totally failing at finding my notes on the other flowers, so I’m not sure which varieties they are — sorry! I know I have them written down somewhere…sigh.
Now here’s a question — I have a few cannas that I forgot to plant. Is there any point to planting them now? Is there a chance they’ll come up in September or October? Will it at least feed the bulb, even if it doesn’t make it all the way to blooming? Should I plant them in pots so I can treat them as houseplants over the winter? Suggestions welcome!
