Re: New phlox

Gene-my limited experience leads me to believe that many "not winter hardy here" plants actually can't handle the wet, rather than the cold.
I grow a lot of lavender here-it handles -30 C with no snow cover surprisingly well-but it doesn't handle a lot of freeze-thaw cycles and a lot of snow. I also know of a gardener quite a bit north of me in Canada who keeps crocosmia in the ground all winter-he gets heavy snow most years and the cover is continuous. I suspect that his soil is pretty free draining and that the bulbs can handle the brief period of damp when it finally melts off in spring.
If I were you I'd just dig them-they store pretty well over winter-if you can keep gladiolas and dahlias, you'll have no trouble with crocosmia.
I generally grow all three in their own section of the garden with nothing but a few annuals in the bed so I can dig it all up without worrying about disturbing my perennials.

Bob Campbell


From: "Gene Bush" <genebush@otherside.com>
Reply-To: perennials@hort.net
To: <perennials@hort.net>
Subject: Re: New phlox
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 07:30:50 -0400

Hello Nancy,
    I know we went through this one last year about this time, but we
purchased 3 Crocosmia at two different nurseries last spring and planted
them in JoAn's raised beds. Not a one made a return visit this spring. All
rotted during winter. Can not seem to hold our mouths right on this one. We
both like the plants, but can not keep them.


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