• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Indoor Start for Earlier Bloom

It’s not too early to start planting - indoors that is.  Start cannas, dahlias or other non-hardy bulbs indoors for bigger transplants and earlier bloom in the garden. 

Retrieve the rhizomes, tubers or corms you may have stored for winter or purchase new ones from your favorite garden center, catalogue or online. 

This is also the perfect time to divide large clumps that grew and multiplied last season. Be sure to leave several growing points, often called eyes, with each division. 

Next fill a flat, or pot with a well-drained potting mix. Lay the rhizomes of cannas and tuberous roots of dahlias on their side. Corms and tuberous stems are set flat on the potting mix with the root plate facing down.  Cover with soil.

Once you’re done planting, move the transplants to a warm sunny location and water thoroughly as needed, Fertilize once the leaves appear and be sure to harden off the plants before moving them outdoors. 

A bit more information:  Wait for the danger of frost to pass and start planting gladiola corms directly in the garden.  Plant the corms in full sun and well-drained soil 2 to 3 times their vertical height deep. Plant a portion of the corms every two weeks or use varieties with different maturity dates to extend bloom time.

Upcoming
Events & Webinars


Sept. 11, 2026
Illinois State Master Gardener Conference
Rockford, IL
Register here

Sept. 12, 2026
2026 Knowledge in Bloom Conference
Urban Ecology Center, Milw., WI
Register here

Sept. 17, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Fall Landscape Care and Planting

Register here

Sept. 26, 2026
Pruning Hydrangeas & Other Shrubs
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL
More information

Oct. 6, 2026
Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
La Crosse, WI
Register here

Oct. 22, 2026
Wauwatosa Public Library
Wauwatosa, WI
More information

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

MORE UPCOMING EVENT DETAILS 

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Sign up for Melinda's free newsletter for a chance to win 3 Allium, 20 Tulip & 20 Daffodil bulbs from Longfield Gardens

ENTER NOW