This spring my wife planted one of those new expensive black elephant ears. It did well enough in the garden to get on our "let's try and save" list. This one does not form a bulb like the more common green ones. To save it you must dig the whole plant, cut it back and take indoors and grow in a pot.

If you have some of the tender bulb or thick rooted annuals still in the garden, time is running out if you wish to save them for next year. This list includes gladiolus, cannas, caladiums, green elephant ears and dahlias as the most common ones. These won't survive our winters in the ground.

After digging, gladiolus should be quickly air dried in a warm place. Cut off the tops and shake off the remaining soil. They can be treated with a fungicide and insecticide before storage if that fits your program. Otherwise discard any showing physical or insect damage. They should be stored in an airy, dark place.

With dahlias, I am referring to the tall ones with the large roots and big flowers. There are several foot tall varieties that are grown from seed and are not worth fooling with.

Immediately after the stems have been blackened with frost cut off all but the last four inches. Carefully dig the tuberous roots. Discard if the crowns are damaged. Turn the roots upside down and let dry for a week. Pack them in peat moss and keep at temperatures in the low 40ies. The peat moss is an excellent way to create a humidity level that's neither too wet nor too dry.

For cannas and caladiums you may wish to beat the frost, as they are a bit more temperature sensitive than the first two. If you didn't, I'd still try to save them. Again, dry and shake off excess soil from the rhizomes. Storing in peat moss is the best with minimum temperatures of 50 degrees recommended. Good-sized damaged root sections will often be good for new plants.

So much for the bulb or bulb like plants that you plant in the spring. Now is a good time to do any last minute planting of bulbs that bloom in the spring. Daffodils are easy to find and easy to grow. They are happy in most soils and do not seem bothered by lots of sun or lots of shade. They thrive in our climate and multiply freely with little attention. In five to seven years a clump may need division to prevent overcrowding. No problems with squirrels either.

With tulips and hyacinths pick larger bulbs. Larger bulbs have larger flowers. You can keep them going successfully with regular fertilizer if you have a sunny spot with rather light soil. Unfortunately, the best results usually come in the first year so replant regularly. Think about the squirrels with these.

There are many different crocus varieties out there. They perform very well if one can resist cutting off the tops until they have dried. It's ok to mow the crocus section of your yard at the highest setting several times. Besides you can go faster. They also prefer the driest sections of your yard or rock garden.

Bulbs play a wonderful role in the garden. My wife's black elephant ears has rebounded and in less than two weeks is already nearly two feet tall. I'm glad we have a big house.