I purchase some red crocosmia bulbs yesterday on the package it states "cold Hardiness -30 to -40F so I thought wonderful do not have to dig them up. However when I looked on the net to find out more info on them it talks about digging them up?? I'm in zone 5, my question is can I leave them in the ground? Where I plant them depends on the answer. Thanks for your input. Enjoy looking at all your beautiful gardens, mine is coming but has a way to go. Patty louise- just love your garden and home!!!

I looked up the temperature range for Crocosmia bulbs in my Sunset Gardening book. This is what is says:

Put in well-drained soil; set corms 2in. deep, 3in. apart. Where winter temperatures remain above 10 degrees F/-12 degrees C, needs no winter protection. Where low range from 10 to -5 degrees F/12 to - 21 degrees C provide winter mulch. In colder areas, dig and store over winter.

I'm in zone 5 and they don't reliably come back. I've tried a few times in 2 different locations. This year just a couple spikes, I guess because it was a little warmer than usual this winter.

Thanks!!! Guess I'm in for digging up in the fall but that ok.

I live in zone6...pretty cold here in PA in the winter...I planted mine 4 inches deep and they come up every year.

Thanks brownthumb maybe I will leave a couple of bulbs in the ground over the winter and see what happens. That way I won't lose all of them if it doesn't work. Last year I must have missed a glad bulb and because of the mild winter it came up this spring!

I've always heard that the extent of their range is zone 6. Even though we have been classified as 6 now I'm a bit leery of buying them. However, I do see them in garden centers here now. In the past, they would sell them with a caution that they were not cold hardy in my area.

You gals can try this if you want...
back in central Ill. I got tired of digging up my glad bulbs every fall. Soooo, I left them in the ground & put straw bales on top of them. Took the bales off after frost danger was gone & they all came back & grew fine! So if you can get square straw bales...you could do that & then use the straw for mulch in some beds next spring??? Or if it is still in good condition...save it in a sheltered place for use a second winter.