I don't think I would press my luck, moving them to an unprotected spot. Give them some nice compost and see what happens. If they get crowded, dig and replant, leaving some in the spot they seem to like.

I bought a pack of yellow glads this past spring, also for a dollar. They made nice foliage, no blooms. I hope next spring will be better.

Nell

Glads are too floppy and fussy for me. I remember my Mum would buy them at the market, as a special treat. I hate having to lift them. That being said, I have been growing dahlias, without a lot of return for my work. If they don't perform next year, it's the compost bin!!!

Nancy.

I haven't planted Glads for years but a tip given to me by a Glad hybridizer is to plant them at least 6 inches deep, stops them from flopping. He grew hundreds every year and didn't have to stake any of them.

Annette

I agree with Nell; probably the reason they wintered over was the spot they are in.

Annette, I need to dig some of mine up next year (if they come back again) and try that deep planting. Mine do require staking and I haven't figured out how to do that attractively!

I'm in zone 2. I have a few glads come back for me every year. They are just out in the garden no micro climate.

I start new glads every year. I start them indoors 2 corms per cell pack....in trays. In June I plant them outdoors....a good 6 to 8 inches deep...they don't flop. The leaves are usually a foot or taller when I plant them out. The early ones start blooming in July the later ones Aug. Of course this depends when I get around to starting the corms in the spring.

Before you plant the corms it is a good idea to soak them in bleach water.....1 part bleach to 10 parts water. This will rid them of thrips if they happen to have them. Thrips will ruin your display of glads. Make sure you soak them for a while....just dipping them in this water does not work.

In the fall I usually pull the glads up and toss in the compost. I usually keep 3 to 5 and just toss in the boxes with the dahlias. Some break off when I pull them and will usually grow the following year....depending on the year..and if they are the early ones....some flower and some don't....the growing season is short here.

Usually a nice big new corm develops and a bunch of baby bulbs. The ones I keep, I take the old dried up corm off and all the baby ones...and just store the nice big corms for the winter. I don't keep very many because I like to change up the colours every year. I plant 100 to 200 glads each year.

Sierra

Nancy, I forgot to ask...what happens with your dahlias? They are pretty easy to grow. I just throw them in the ground here in early spring, don't water or anything till the greens appear above the ground. Then water....fertilize with compost or sea weed or 20 20 20 a time or two through the growing season....and they just do their own thing, till frost.

The easiest way to handle bulbs that need to be lifted is to have a part of the garden just for that type of plants. That makes the lifting in the fall easier...you don't have to worry about damaging the roots of other plants.

Sierra

Another tip I was given, after cleaning and removing the spent corm store with a mothball, this is also supposed to get rid of any thrips present.

Annette

I agree, thrips are the biggest problem. I grew rows and rows for years. They were one of my mother's favorites and would take an armload to her every two weeks. (She lived in an apartment.) Stagger planting times (which was why I lifted them each year) and plant deep.
A neighbour has one single red one that has been coming back for years with no care at all.

Libby

Interesting stuff. If Sierra can get some to come back in an unprotected site im sure I might be able to. Glads arn't my favorite, but they are great for cut flowers. Have you guys seen the green colored ones? Awesome looking!
CMK

We have them planted right up next to our foundation in a raised bed, and they have come back. The second year's blooms were better than the first year. Now, you are about two zones north, so I don't know how that would work for you.

Hello Newbiehavinfun!
My Glads DID come back, and they too were planted against the foundation of the house. What I was wondering was if anyone thought they would come back if they were in a less sheltered site. I might as well try though, as they are not very expencive.
CMK

Oh, Sierra - I had this elegant replied composed for you, and my computer ate it!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The dahlia's behaved as though they had had too much 0-0-1 - last number.

So, I have lifted the dahlias, the weird lily,etc. They have gone away for a bit. They were lots of leaves, but not too many; a few flowers mid-summer, but not large. Now it was like I had given too much of the 3 number - but I hadn't. Everything else in the same gardens flowered and leafed just fine. Don't know what I did...

Nancy.