Kimmie, The link below (How to dig & store gladiolus corms) tells a wealth of information about lifting & storing glads. To summarize, the article recommends that you lift the corms 6-8 weeks after the blooms have faded, or after the first frost (but before the ground freezes). Once you've lifted the bulbs, don't forget to rinse the dirt off & let them air dry in order to get rid of any pests. If you're worried about pests (thrip or mold), you should know that you can soak your bulbs in a weak bleach:water solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). At least with tulip bulbs, the healthy bulbs (or corms in this case), will float to the top since they have a higher water content than those that are dead or rotted. Once your corms are clean, the article also recommends that you store them in paper or mesh bags (don't use anything that won't breathe - as your bulbs will mold over & rot... I learned that the hard way with some tulip bulbs!), in a cool (35-55 degrees fahrenheit) dark place (don't put them in a fridge with fruit, since the gases emitted will kill the flower bud in the corms). FYI - I've also heard of people storing their bulbs in a box with wood shavings (like those you use for a pet hamster), and http://hortchat.com/info/gladiolus recommends that you put a mothball in the bag/box you use to store your corms in order to deter thrip or mice from eating your bulbs. More about wintering over frost-tender bulbs can also be found at: http://americangardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/wintering_over_frost_tender_bulbs Good luck with your glads! Here is a link that might be useful: How to dig & store gladiolus corms

Be it a sign of warmer winters or maybe more snow cover, but my big red showy ones have survived three consecutive winters in the garden. I had left them outside hoping they would die as I'm not a big fan. After moving them once, I had left all the tiny cormlets in the old spot. I'm almost at the point now where one would consider them getting a bit 'weedy'. No luck with Cannas in the ground though. They still turn to mush. It has given me confidence though, to experiment with Galtonia, Eucomis, Crocosmia, and hopefully some other South African's.

Dig them up just before a frost. They don't take kindly to that. You should have an idea when your first frost comes. I dig mine up and lay them down on the garage floor, and let the good go back into the bulbs. Then they are cut from the step, powdered in fungicide, and stored in paper bags with labels. These bags I put into a cardboard box and then are stored in the cold cellar for the winter. A non freezing garage will also work. I've been doing this for years, and it seems to work out well. You have a lot of cutting to do, so you may not have all the room that you need. I've also seen folk bend the tops back in half after the flowering, and that forces the nutrition to go to the bulb as well. That might save you "the garage" step as room may be a determining factor.

I have dug up dahlia bulbs late. I kept waiting for them to go dormant and they just never did! One day, it got really, really cold and the ground froze in a short period of time (surface). It was difficult to dig them up and they all "worked" the next year. People are tempting me to attempt to get my dahlia tubers through the winter outside. I am going to heavily mulch them. They are also planted next to the foundation of the house. I have one dahlia that comes back every year without being dug up. It is a high risk project though. I would think that your dahlias are fine.