- There are also medicinal uses of the flower, such as mashing the seeds to draw out splinters and thorns or treating colic by mixing it with milk.
Easy To Grow
As long as you plant a healthy corm in full sun with good soil, you will get great blooms.
Eye Catching Blooms
With over 300 varieties there is a color combination for everyone.
Perrenial... Kind of.
As long as you have mild winters they will come back on their own. The more cold climates will need to bring the corms inside for the winter.
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Crocoideae
Tribe: Gladioleae
Genus: Gladiolus
History & Culture of Gladiolus
Growing Gladiolus
When to plant:
- Early Spring. They require about 90 days to reach maturity so the earlier the better. You want to start planting around the last expected frost date. Expect blooms to appear July-August.
Where to plant:
- Plant in a full sun location. For the best blooms and healthiest plants, Gladiolus need at least 6-8 hours of direct sun a day.
- The soil should preferably be a bit sandy, packed with nutrients, and drain easily. Accumulated water could cause the corm to rot.
How to plant:
- Dig a hole about 4-6 inches deep, place the pointy side of the corm upwards, cover it with soil, and water it really well. Be sure to space your corms at least 4-6 inches apart from each other.
How to take care of it:
- Gladiolus require about 1 inch of water per week.
Colin Can Help Tips:
- If you plan to bring them inside for display, cut them after the first two bottom florets bloom. Once the rest are in the water, they too will open up and give you the longest display possible.
- If you are going to keep them outside, succession plant for a longer bloom season. If you plant a few every week or two, the newer ones will start to bloom as the earlier planted are dying off.
- If keeping outside, you will want to attach the plants to a stake or some sort of support since they become pretty top-heavy and fall down.
Harvesting
Gladiolus is a florist's favorite. They can have up to 20 blooms on one stalk, have a wide variety of colors, and really make a statement in a bouquet. When the bottom two florets are opened, it is the right time to cut them for indoor display. The remaining florets will continue to open when placed in water.
Problems to Look Out For
The biggest pest of gladiolus is a small insect called thrips. Thrips feed on the flowers and leaves causing characteristic streaking and discoloring on the flowers.
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