Question
I live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Zone 5, I believe, When do I plant my blubs of Clematis, Glads, Iris, actually any bulb?  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Barbara,
Thanx for your question.  I think the last frost date in your area occurs between 4/20 and 5/1 so you can plant anytime after the last hard frost.  But actually, the glads?  I would wait until mid-May to plant the gladioli.  They prefer a warmer soil.  Iris, clematis and hardy bulbs can be planted when the soil is still cool.  Remember that gladioli are not hardy to zone 5 and you can either treat them as an annual or dig them up in the fall after the first frost has killed them back.  They don't actually have bulbs but a structure called a corm which is like a somewhat flat onion.  After you life the corms in the fall you can store the corms and their babies, cormels for next years garden.  Cormels (the babies) will take 1-3 seasons to mature into a corm.  Irises don't grow from bulbs either but from a rhizome which is actually a modified stem that grows underground and supports the roots.  This stem stores energy in the form of starches and sugars for the plant's growth.  Other bulbs would be like hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, lilies.  As long as they are hardy to Zone 5 you can plant them now and the lilies might bloom this year but it is too late for the others.  I hope this helps.
Tom