I live in NJ (Zone 6 I believe) and I live in an apt with a balcony. I am planning to plant bulbs in pots on my balcony as soon as spring arrives. The problem is I'm having issues figuring out what to plant.
I want TALL flowering bulbs. What I'd like to plant this spring are Gladiolus, Dahlias, and something else. (and Peonies in the fall) but I just read that Gladiolus and Dahlias aren't hardy for zone 6. They start at zone 7. Does it make any difference that they aren't going in the ground and will not get any snow on them because they will be under an overhang? Or do I still need to dig them up after teh winter and bring them inside the apt?

Can you make any other suggestions? Or do you think I'll be ok with the Gladiolus and Dahlias leaving them outside in the winter.

If I do need to take them in, what do I do when winter comes? Just cut off the foliage and dig up the bulb and store it inside my apt in a bag?

Sorry, I have no prior experience.

Any help/suggestions/ideas would be most helpful. Thank you

I have not previously grown them in containers myself, but I plan on growing a couple this year.

Zone 6 is definitely fine for Dahlias. I’m zone 5A and they grow great up here. You can even start them now and they should be blooming by the middle of June.

This link: http://www.scdahlias.org/howto/digdivide.html offers great advice on many things to do with Dahlias, including how to store them. After I divided my tubers, I wrapped them in cellophane and put them into a cloth grocery bag then covered the top of the bag with newspaper. I then put the bag into a fridge as I don’t have any cold storage area. You can’t simply leave them inside your apartment as that would be too warm for them to winter. You might get away with putting them in a cooler on the balcony over the winter if the cooler is made well enough.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Russ