I don't have gladiolus bulbs I have white crinium bulbs I can trade for irises

I live in zone 8b. I've never had glads because they are so easily toppled by wind, but my mother had them and always dug them up in late summer after they went dormant. Glads are native to South Africa and the dry season is essentially their winter. My dry season is July and August. The bulbs should be dug up anywhere a killing frost can occur. Here is an ARTICLE on them.

I've had them be hit or miss in zone 5 depending on how protected they were and the winter. I for sure would lift them in a zone 3. I have put in glads 3-4 weeks before the last frost during a mild spring and they have been fine. I wouldn't try pushing it further back than that unless they were in a pot I could bring inside if it got too frozen for too long. I have no idea if Calgary is getting a mild spring right now, but I think it might still be too many weeks before you last frost date to risk them.

Thank you! It's great to meet a glad friend. =) I'm south of Fargo, ND. I'll insert a finger near a bulb and water it if it's dry. I'd heard once not to water the corms, as they supposedly had everything they needed until the foliage appeared. It doesn't sound like that's the case though. Any fear of over-watering? I don't want to sog them out. Concerning digging them up in the fall...it get's pretty cold in my local. 10-20 degrees is average in the dead of winter, but it can easily get -20 to -30. So, it sounds like I'm in the annual group!