Easy to Grow Gladioli

Easy to Grow Gladioli

Gladioli are a very versatile plant and are equally at home in most gardens from the contemporary to the traditional. They are available in almost every color and hue, with flowers from 5 cm to 18 cm (or 2 in. to 7 in.) wide. The gladiolus is sometimes called the sword lily or corn lily, and the name means "little sword" in Latin. The name comes from the shape of the leaves which look like swords of the ancient knights. Gladioli are perfect for combination planting in border gardens as well as for long-lasting cut flowers. They are simple to grow and very rewarding.

Gladioli are good for cut flowers as well as in the garden. The vegetable garden is a good place to grow glads for cut flowers. They stand out in the garden due to their shape in color. Many kinds of glads make ideal cut flowers, and can be grown in rows in the cutting garden. Today's gardeners can choose from a wide range of flower forms, colors and heights, so there's certainly a gladiolus for everyone's taste. Dust the corms before storage with an all-purpose garden fungicide to ensure against insect and disease damage while in storage.

If you want flowers for display, or cutting, during most of the summer, you’ll need to plant large corms every two weeks throughout the early spring. Plant them in a sunny spot after the danger of frost has passed. Try to plant the corms (bulbs) in the spring, then sit back and wait, and prepare to be amazed. Plant large bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep, medium-sized bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep, and small bulbs 2 to 3 inches deep. For the best effect, plant mixed colors in groups of 25 or more; single colors may be planted as few as 10 in a group for equally striking displays.

The flowers should bloom in about 90 days. They should open first from the base of the spike, with the older flowers dying as new ones develop and open. Flowers bloom in all colors of the rainbow except true blue. The cone of flowers running up the plant stalk comes in a myriad of colors from white, to fuschia, to bright yellow

The gladiolus is an important floral crop world wide that is grown in gardens and sold as a cut flower. In fact, Gladioli are recorded (under several of its synonyms) as being used in southern Africa in treating a variety of ailments, including diarrhea and colds. It is one of the few plants that can produce green blooms, and produce a show stopping effect in the garden or a vase. They are grown for their attractive flower spike that has florets of huge form, dazzling color and varying sizes, with a long vase life.