A drift of 100 I planted on Camano Island (north of Everett, WA) some years ago produced about 3 flower spikes in total the first year. I have no recollection of subsequent growth, as though the planting rapidly dwindled away or died out completely the first winter. What I've read about this plant for decades plus additional reading I did yesterday makes me think future attempts in this climate would best involve a south-facing wall, repeated summer watering, fertilization and some kind of winter protection. The American Gardener's World of Bulbs, Judy Glattstein, 1994, Little, Brown and Company: Where the temperature remains at least 10F above freezing in winter they may be left in the ground, provided they can be kept quite dry during this resting season The Larger Bulbs, Brian Matthew, 1978, B.T. Batsford: G. callianthus is an easy plant to grow but is not hardy in most parts of Britain. Near the Sussex Coast it persisted and flowered for many years in the chalky soil in a hot sunny spot but even in Surrey I do not find it winter-hardy. The corms should be planted in a warm sheltered position in early May and lifted in autumn before any serious frosts occur Garden Bulbs for the South, Scott Ogden, 2007, Timber Press: Along the Gulf Coast, Abyssinian gladioli may be expected to return if they have been well fed and watered. In the upper South, they may be dug and stored over winter Bulb, Anna Pavord, 2009, Mitchell Beazley: In certain well-mulched places in my Dorset garden it survives the winter Book of Bulbs, Roger Phillips, 1989, Random House: the corms are not hardy, but will survive outside in mild climates or if protected from freezing Christopher Lloyd's Garden Flowers, Christopher Lloyd, 2000, Timber Press: tender but lends itself to pot culture Perennial Garden Plants, Graham Stuart Thomas, 1990, Sagapress/Timber: the corms ... need lifting in all but the warmest of gardens Ogden (2007) actually groups it in his book with bulbs for damp places and Phillips (1989) shows it flowering in the wild on a dripping wet cliff. This post was edited by bboy on Fri, Oct 17, 14 at 14:09

Yes, I agree, I would plant them as well. Me personally, if I tried to store them, as Ken says I would definitely forget about them and find them in a year or ten. Kinda like some dahlia tubers which I've done the same thing with! I planted some tender glad bulbs here in my zone 6 CT garden years ago, and about a half dozen or so have continually come back every year, much to my surprise and delight! They are in a cutting garden that I am downsizing slowly and will eventually remove, so I'll probably more them but I'm hesitant to do so - messing with a good thing and all that lol. They appear to be multiplying also so maybe I should dig them up and separate and replant. So you may have some luck with yours, especially those near the foundation. I planted mine as annuals, knowing and expecting that they would not return. If you want to dig and store (I'm not good at that!) then maybe try robert's idea - dig up some and leave some as an experiment. Whatever you do, good luck! :) Dee

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.