Bulbmeister.COM - Discussions

[kmirvin]

I received an excellent question via e-mail, and I thought it best I should provide my answer, for what it is worth, here on the forum. Crocosmia are best adapted to USDA Hardiness zones 6 and warmer. Some may even be too tender for zone 6. So, what does a person do who really likes to grow Crocosmia, but s/he resides in zone 5 or colder?

The magic number for zone 6 is -10°F. This tells us that, as a rule of thumb, Crocosmia can handle winters that reach -10°F. Problem is, by the time temperatures reach that low in the winter, the ground is probably already frozen. So, the best strategy would be to dig your Crocosmia bulbs as late as possible in the early winter BEFORE the ground freezes, clean the corms, and store in a cool, dry, dark location.

One can safely assume s/he can replant as soon as the ground thaws in late winter/early spring. It might be good to plant 4-5" deep as well to avoid being too close to colder air temperatures. Mature corms should have no problem with that depth.

In the original question, the idea of starting plants indoors came up. I'm not sure how that would go, unless one pays for those expensive grow lights or has a bright window, because you would have to wait until all frost damage was over before transplanting. If this choice was made, I would recommend using the same procedures for a houseplant, using standard potting media and fertilizing as needed during growth, then plant in the spring when risk of frost is over.

The idea in the first suggestion is to escape the coldest part of the winter season while keeping the corms in the ground as much of the season as possible. How will you find the corms to dig them? Simply use some sort of garden marker or wire flag to mark the spot before the dead foliage is removed from the garden.

I hope this is helpful and invite anybody to sign up and add to, whether advice, corrections, or questions in a new posting as you see fit. Cumulative knowledge is always better than the isolated suggestion.

[Gaby]

Thanks for sharing your answer.
_________________
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~ St. Augustine