Bulbs
Photo by : Shannon Marie Ferguson / Shutterstock .
Gladiolus flowers are a gilded standard in the florist swop , but they are also comfortable and sparing to grow at home . Avid glad rooter often fill entire rows or garden beds with them for use in bouquet , and others opt to keep them with other perennial flowers in the garden — where hummingbird really love them !
On this pageboy : Basics|Types|Planting|Care|Pictures|Cut & Display Glads
On this page :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Gladiolusxhortulanus
Common names:
Common sword lily , garden glad , and steel lily ( because of the farsighted , pointed leaves )
Zones:
recurrent in zones 8 - 10 . Can be grown as annual in zones 2 - 7 . SomeG. nanustypes are dauntless to zone 4 or 5 .
Plant type:
Although often labeled as “ summertime electric light , ” gladioli are herbaceous perennials that develop from bulb - like corm covered with a fibrous papery pelt .
Exposure:
Full sun
Height:
1 to 5 feet
Bloom time:
From former summer until hoarfrost , depending on the cultivar and when the corm are implant .
Flower characteristics:
Glads come in nearly any color and shade ( except for true blue ) in both unanimous and multicolored forms . depend on the cultivar , the petals may be frilly , flick , semi - frilled or plain , and the size of it can range from miniature ( under 2 ½ column inch in diam ) to mammoth ( over 5 in ) . The flowers are typically arranged on only one side of the stem and open in succession from the bottom up , with the largest peak at the base .
TYPES OF GLADIOLUS
You ’ll detect countless cultivar of gladiola in local garden centers and catalogs , all derived from various combinations of more than 250 species , most of which are native to southern and central Africa and Eurasia .
The three primary glad groups are :
PLANTING GLADIOLUS
Gladiolus corm quick for planting . picture by : Longfield Gardens .
When to plant:
Start planting glad corms as early on as a month before the modal last frost engagement in your area . look on the cultivar , glad take an average of 90 days after planting before they bloom . Stretch the bloom time of year by succession planting corm at two - week musical interval through early July and by mixing variety that mature at dissimilar times . Make your last planting about 12 calendar week before the first frost particular date .
Where to plant:
Plant sword lily in heyday beds and border , veggie garden , cut flower gardens , and even containers . All they need is a cheery fix that is protected from hint to annul damage to the improbable blossom stalks . habituate them to fulfil space and add vertical interestingness in an established flower garden , as they will bloom in former summer when many other bloom fade .
Planting depth and spacing:
Gladiolus corms can vary in size , depending on the case . For undecomposed resultant role , survey the recommendations collapse on the packet . Always plant corms with the matted side face downward , and the pointed end face up up .
Soil:
Glads are n’t fussy and will thrive in many different soil type , but well - drained soil is a must . Before planting , work the soil several inches deeply than the planting depth of the corm and amend it with organic thing if necessary .
For more on planting and storing bulbs:
Bulbs 101
GLADIOLUS CARE
Staking:
gladiolus that grow 3 to 4 feet or tall will in all probability need to be staked or caged to preclude the stalks from bend and breaking . define the stakes in the solid ground at planting clock time to avoid wrong to the corms .
Watering:
After planting , piddle glads good and then keep the soil evenly moist throughout the growing time of year . During dry weather , soak the ground thoroughly to supply the eq of an in of rain per workweek . To help conserve moisture and ascendance weeds , utilize a 2- to 4 - in level of mulch around your plants . ( SeeHow to Mulch and obviate Mistakes . )
Pest problems:
The biggest scourge to gladioli arethrips , tiny flying worm that feed in on the foliation and flower buds . Thrips are hard to make out without a magnifying glass , so look on your gladiola for signs of thrip damage , which include silverish streaks and small white patches on the parting and buds that break to open .
Winter care & storage:
After a glad efflorescence , the original corm set out to wither away and a Modern one form for the next year ’s growth . In country where gladiolus are n’t hardy , you’re able to winter the newly shape corms until the following spring by digging them up in fall once the foliage has been vote down by frost . Here are the canonic dance step :
GLADIOLUS PICTURES
Photo by : grjo02022 © Visions BV , Netherlands / Johan Groot .
Gladiolus‘Black Beauty ’
Why we love it : closely blackened blooms with cryptical Burgundy wine highlight are as plush as velvet . Especially striking when paired in the garden or a vase with a pure white glad , such as ‘ White Prosperity . ’
Height:4 to 5 feet improbable
mean solar day until bloom:70 to 100
Also try:‘Espresso ’ and ‘ Black Jack ’ , which also have voluptuous burgundy - flushed flowers .
Photo by : Longfield Gardens .
Gladiolus‘Green Star ’
Why we bang it : In the mixed flower garden and in floral arrangements , this striking glad with ruffled blooms the colour of lime sherbert is a refreshing complement to fuchsia , dark purple , orange , and other bold blossom colors .
Height:3 to 4 feet marvellous
Days until bloom:70 to 75
Also try:‘Kiev , ’ a showy chartreuse - green beaming with pink highlighting and impressive 4 - column inch - diameter blooms .
exposure by : visi04474 © Visions BV , Netherlands / VisionsPictures & Photography .
Gladiolus‘Peter pear ’
Why we eff it : Velvety blooms the color of peach sorbet open to reveal bright hemangioma simplex - red centers . Its tall upright spikes and strappy foliage also add a solid upright ingredient to the garden .
Days until bloom:60 to 100
Also try:‘Boone ’ , a hardy zone 5 happy with apricot flush and yellowed pharynx pock with red .
Gladiolus‘Priscilla ’
Why we jazz it : Lovely , ladylike , and utterly enthral , with frilly clean flowers and lite sensationalistic centers , all fringed in red-hot garden pink .
Also try:‘Charming Beauty ’ , a miniature glad with bubble - gum pinkish florets and bright pink accents .
Photo by : Roger Cope / Alamy Stock Photo .
Gladiolus‘Princess Margaret Rose ’
Why we bed it : Towering spikes of chicken - orange flush edged in blood-red estrus up the summer garden with all the tropic colors of a Tequila Sunrise .
Also try:‘Jester ' , with rippled apricot - yellow petals and bright orangish - red throats .
Photo by : Del Boy / Shutterstock .
Gladiolus nanus‘Prins Claus ’
Why we love it : This fearless miniature beaming puts on a striking display class after year , first showing off its pure bloodless petals then opening to bring out promising splotch of fuchsia . As a bonus , the corms of this zona 4 perennial can overwinter in the ground .
Height:24 to 30 column inch tall
Bloom metre : May through July
Also try:‘Elvira ’ , another cold-blooded - brave glad with wan salmon - pinkish rosiness accented by smudges of abstruse pink .
Photo by : JRJfin / Shutterstock .
Gladiolus‘White Prosperity ’
Why we make love it : Pristine snow - blanched flowers and ruffle petal up to 4 inch across make this glad one of the most versatile in the garden or vase . Each statuesque spike bears 18 to 20 flower .
Also try:‘Albus ’ , a diminutive virgin - white dwarf beaming under 2 foot tall .
pic by : visi08411 © Visions BV , Netherlands / VisionsPictures & Photography .
Gladiolus‘Wine and Roses ’
Why we love it : Even more romanticist than red roses , a poetic composition of soft , rippled pink blooms embellished with wine - red hearts redact by a halo of white . Also suppurate early , revealing its beauteousness just a couple of calendar month after planting .
years until bloom:65 to 70
Also try:‘Mon Amour ’ , another dreamy tricolored glad in easy tones of pink , pallid sensationalistic , and bone .
