"John DeBoo" wrote in message
...
We purchased a number of these small plants (Figaro Dahlia's)from
WalMart earlier this year and they've grown like they were they were
on fire. Guess I did something right with the soil & watering.
Beautiful plants. Even though its early, I'm wondering if the bulbs
(not sure of proper term here) need to be dug up, dried and kept on
a dark place until next year, or if they can be left out in the
ground. I'm in zone 7 (Albuquerque). If they need to be dug up,
when? I've searched the 'net and mostly find places selling them
but little to no info on how to 'winter' them. When I was young, my
mom in Seattle had loads of them and always dug them up and stored
them in the attic until next year - much to my dad's displeasureG.
Any tips etc would be greatly appreciated as these flowers are much
too pretty to just replace next year.


They are sold as annuals here in SW Ohio (zone 6) I think they make a
wonderful bedding plant with lots of blooms right up till frost. I haven't
had any pest or disease problems with them. The only negative is that I
think they need to be dead headed to look their best and that can be time
consuming.

I dug them the first year I had them and replanted in the spring. The next
year I just left them in the ground and they came back for the next two
years. I lost them the following year. In zone 7 they will be more
reliable but not guaranteed. You could dig them in the fall and replant the
next spring or take your chances. I wouldn't store them in the attic, at
least not in my attic. Ideally the attic temperature should be the same as
the roof temperature unless your attic is a finished living space.
Therefore, the temperature in the attic will be far colder in the winter and
far warmer in the summer than the ground. I would dig them and put them in
some slightly moist peat, wood shavings, or newspaper in a box and store
them in a cool place between 45 and 55 F. A cool basement or a closet on an
outside wall would be preferable to an unfinished attic.