| Yes, they'll grow very nicely in Zone 5. Two things are really important, though. 1) They MUST have very sandy, well drained soil, as the bulbs rot easily in wet soil. 2) Learned this lesson the hard way. They can be attacked by some kind of a root maggot, which destroys the bulb. I think it might be the same kind that gets into onions and root crops like radishes. At any rate, be sure to apply some type of granular insecticide a couple times a year to the bed, once in spring and once in fall. In the old days, i would say diazinon or dursban, but I think both of those are off the market now. I guess the Bayer Advanced grub control stuff would work. Unfortunately, since they're a Dutch bulb, it's the wrong time of the year. I've actually seen the plants forced for spring sale at a garden center once, but VERY overpriced, like $20 for one plant. The bulbs are expensive, like $5 or $6 each, but not $20.00. This is a very good place to buy them from: http://www.vanengelen.com/ |
