Hi Sandy,

Any bulbs I plant that are left in the ground will have to get along for the colder months with no water (except what nature provides). Will this be a problem?
There should be no problem with planting hardy bulbs and forgetting them. Just water them in some when planting, and plant early enough that they will likely have time to settle in, and root b4 the ground freezes.

I'd also like to plant bulbs in pots.
What types of bulbs? Caladiums? Elephant ears? Canna? hardy bulbs? others? I would think that all would be fine to dig and store, or even maybe leave in the pots and let them go dormant on their own in the basement, and then water and wake them each spring.

It sounds like you have a wonderful place there during the warmer months.

Sue

The question is whether you will be at the cabin when the hardy bulbs are blooming. Do you go there in early spring before the leaves are out on the trees?

We've only lived here a year and this year we came back the end of March (the lake was still somewhat frozen and no leaves on the trees). We moved here from Florida so all this winter stuff is a mystery (and so far, a delight) to me. It was snowing up in the mountains yesterday.

Yes....I was thinking of caladiums in pots as I have a place that gets virtually no sun except maybe a few moments in the morning. Also thinking about planting ferns there in the ground with a soaker hose keeping them happy while we're home (and hoping they survive the winter by themselves).

For this past winter, I DID take most flower pots to the basement as I wasn't sure what the winter would do to them. If I can just leave the bulbs in them, that would really be great.

Sandy

Fossilnut....I live in upstate NY zone 4b so I'm quite familiar with cold. Whatever plant,bulbs or roots you plant in Washington state will have to be cold hardy. The list is too long but favorites are of course tulips, daffs, iris, campanula, shasta daisy, phlox, And of course Lilies. and a hundred others. If they are rated hardy to zone 5 or colder you can leave them in the ground. There will be no harm. Winter hardy plants/bulbs REQUIRE being frozen. If you plant winter hardy thing in pots you can leave those to get covered by the snow without harm. I leave mine right out in the yard in pots. By the way...the reason for planting Tulips, Lily and things like that deep is NOT to protect them from the cold. It is to protect the bulb from the heat of summer. If you toss a Lily on top of the gound and leave it all winter. When snow melts it will grow.
Dahlias, Caladiums, etc you will need to dig up and store or take south with you. I rarely water my flowers ever. I let mother nature take care of her stuff. If we get 14 days with no rain I will put the hose out. Canadian Shrub Roses will do well in WA. May I suggest the climbing Rose "WILLIAM BAFFIN" rated to the bitter cold of zone 2A. I have 4 and the climb to 14 feet every year with absolutely NO CARE at all producing thousands of blooms per plant. Lovely Rose.
You can easily plant enough winter hardy plants so that you will have color every day from March to October.

Thanks for your help everybody. I think I'll bring in the pots that have bulbs that aren't cold hardy and leave out the pots that have the hardier bulbs. My choice of bulbs will be dictated not only by zones and when they bloom, but also by what deer don't like to munch on. We had LOTS of mule deer last year....but this year we've got a new dog so it'll be fun to see if she's a good watch dog. It'll be fun learning.

Sandy

Deer resistant bulbs: daffodils, chionodoxa, crocus tommasinianus (but not necessarily others), pushkinia, muscari, iris reticulata. Definitely not tulips--deer love them.

Perennials that I think are hardy to your zone and are highly deer resistant include Aconitums, Erythroniums, and Siberian iris.