While caught up in my tulip-buing frenzy earlier this year, I inadvertently ordered some saffron crocus bulbs - love cooking with it, thought this was a great way to have a ready harvest.

I didn't re-read the hardiness zone information until they arrived, when I found out they wouldn't overwinter outside here. But, rather than send them back, I decided to plant them in a planter box for the autumn (even got one bloom this year! yay!), put some dried leaves on them when they were young and it was going to get cold, then take the planter inside after the foliage died back and the weather got bad (snow/ice, etc.).

Well, I now don't remember how I got the planter box liner in the box (built into the deck; probably angled it in when it was empty), and I can't get it back out again. So, I said, not a problem - I'll dig them up when finished, store in peat moss over the winter, set back out when things are warmer.

So, I'm waiting for the foliage to die back... it's still green and fresh this morning! we've been through snow, ice, you name it - and it doesn't show any signs of stopping.

We're coming up on some more bad weather days here, and I'm trying to decide when to dig up these bulbs and bring them in. Do I continue to wait until/if the foliage dies back, or do I say, "temp is below X (any advice on what that X should be would be grealy appreciated), time to come in"? We've been below freezing at times since planting.

My gut hunch tells me that they should come in for the winter, but it's hard to know what to do when the bulbs seem to be growing happily along..... Advice most welcome.

Leslie