From our perspective, the primary concern with frost is not the visible leaves and flower spike, but our corm, the storage organ buried beneath the soil. This corm is our life. It contains all the stored energy and genetic material needed to regenerate once warmth returns. When the ground freezes, the water within our cells can turn to ice crystals. These crystals are like tiny daggers, piercing and rupturing our cell walls. This damage is often fatal; a frozen, mushy corm cannot send up new growth. Therefore, your entire protection strategy must focus on preventing the soil around us from freezing solid and safeguarding our corms.
Our first line of defense is your foresight. When you plant us in the spring, placing our corms at a depth of 6-8 inches (15-20 cm), rather than a shallower depth, provides significant insulation. The deeper soil mass takes much longer to freeze, acting like a natural blanket. Furthermore, your timing is crucial. Please do not plant us too early in the spring when a late frost could damage our new, tender shoots. More importantly, you must monitor the autumn forecast diligently. Our protection begins long before the first hard frost is predicted.
When a frost advisory is issued, we require immediate action to trap geothermal heat radiating from the soil. A thick, loose layer of dry mulch is highly effective. Please cover our planting bed with a 6-12 inch (15-30 cm) layer of straw, shredded leaves, or pine boughs. Do not use materials that compact, like wet leaves, as they suffocate us and retain cold. Alternatively, for a light frost, you can cover our foliage with breathable fabric row covers, blankets, or burlap. These materials trap the earth's warmth far more effectively than plastic, which can transfer cold to any foliage it touches and cause condensation that freezes.
In consistently cold climates where the ground freezes deeply and for prolonged periods, the only truly safe method is to lift our corms from the ground. Please do this after our foliage has been lightly frosted and has turned yellow but before a hard freeze. Gently dig us up, leaving the foliage attached. You must then place us in a warm, dry, and well-ventilated location (around 60-70°F or 15-21°C) for two to three weeks. This process, called curing, is vital. It allows us to gradually transition into dormancy, routing all our remaining energy from the dying foliage down into the newly formed corm for winter storage.
After we are fully cured and the foliage is dry and easily removed, please brush off any dry soil. Then, place our corms in a breathable container, such as a mesh bag, a paper bag, or a crate with peat moss, vermiculite, or wood shavings. The absolute key to our survival is the storage environment. We must be kept in a dark, dry place where the temperature remains consistently between 35-45°F (2-7°C). This cool temperature mimics our natural winter conditions and keeps us perfectly dormant without risking freeze damage or desiccation. This is our sanctuary until you return us to the warm earth in spring.
