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Gladiolus

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Botanical name: Gladiolus

Plant type: Flower

USDA Hardiness Zones: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Sun exposure: Full Sun

Soil type: Any

Flower color: Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, White, Multicolor

Bloom time: Summer

Gladiolus is a perennial favored for its beautiful, showy flowers. Its flowers grow on tall spikes and are often found in cutting gardens or in the back along the border (because they are tall). Gladioli have many different colored flowers, and grow between 2 to 6 feet in height. It's good for cut flowers.

Planting

  • Plant gladiolus bulbs in the spring once danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.
  • Ready your garden by using a garden fork or tiller and loosen the soil to about 12 to 15 inches deep. After loosening the soil, mix in a 2– to 4–inch layer of compost.
  • Plant your bulbs 4 to 8 inches deep with the pointed end facing up. Space the corms 3 to 6 inches apart. Water the corms thoroughly.
  • Gladioli like well-drained, light soil and full sun.
  • If you're planting tall varieties, be sure to stake them at planting time. Be careful not to damage the corms with the stakes.
  • It takes about 90 days from the time gladioli are planted to root, grow, bloom, and store enough energy for the next season.

Care

  • Put a 2– to 4–inch layer of mulch around your gladioli to keep your soil moist and help prevent weeds.
  • If you get less than 1 inch of rain a week, water your plants regularly throughout the summer. Otherwise, water them moderately when in growth to keep the soil moist.
  • Remove the faded/dead flowers to ensure continuous growth. Once all the flowers on a stalk have gone, cut off the stalk.
  • Be sure to leave the plant intact so it can mature and rejuvenate the corms for the next season.
  • If you live in zones 7 or 8, put down a layer of hay or straw for winter protection.
  • Corms should be dug before the last frost in you live in zone 7 or ones colder.

Pests

  • Gladiolus corm rot (Fusarium)
  • Gray mold
  • Viruses
  • Aster yellows
  • Spider mites
  • Thrips
  • Aphids

Harvest/Storage

  • At the end of the season, cut the stalks to within an inch of the corms, then leave them in a warm, airy location for 1 to 2 weeks.
  • Remove and throw away the oldest bottom corms and store the new corms in plastic, mesh bags in a well–ventilated room. The temperature of the room should be between 35º and 45ºF. Replant these corms in the spring.

Recommended Varieties

  • Candyman, for its beautiful deep pink flowers
  • Dream's End, which makes a good back border plant because its flower spike is up to 3 feet long (and it has pretty light orange flowers with large yellow centers)
  • Prins Claus, which has white flowers with splashes of pink on its petals

E-Cards

Send a free e-card of this glorious gladiolus.

Comments

By Apoteke on May 20

I remember an aunt who had rows of beautiful glads every summer. Every fall she dug them up and every spring she replanted. But I remember her soaking them before she replanted, and I seem to remember my mother saying lye water. I have some stored glad corms, do I need to soak them before re planting?

By Suzan Hislop on May 20

My Glads are in full bloom and very beautiful, here in south Texas. Question: Will they continue to produce blooms if I cut the flowers for vases? My plants are currently about 3-1/2 feet tall. I would hate to cut the flowers and have a bare flower bed.

By Anonymous on May 16

Can they be stored in a refrigerator?
I don't have a well ventilated room of 35-45 temperature, where else can I store them?
Can I store them for more then a year without planting them? How long will they keep?

By Almanac Staff on May 17

A refrigerator is too cold for the bulbs. If the bulbs are firm and dry you can put them in a paper bag and keep them in your coldest room. Check them regularly for soft spots or rot. If a bulb is soft discard it. They should be OK for a year.

By Anonymous on May 15

3 days back I moved my 33 glads from pots to ground and now leaves are turning yellow. Pots got morning sun but now in ground they get full sun. I am worried and I don't want to loose my Glads. Shall I move them back into pot? Any advice. I leave in Walnut creek , Ca

By Anonymous on May 14

I started many bulbs in pots. They are doing well and I would like to transplant them, but
we can get light frost through June 10th here. Is it OK to transplant them now or do I need to wait until all danger of frost is past?

By Anonymous on May 10

I live in Lisbon, Me., what zone am I in?

By Almanac Staff on May 17

You are in USDA hardiness Zone 5b.

By Anonymous on May 7

My wedding is Sept 7th and I want to use my glads as cut flowers for the wedding. When should I plant my bulbs?

By Anonymous on May 16

Do the flowers last for days or weeks? As I stated earlier, I'm trying to have them in full bloom for Sept 7th. If I plant now that is 112 days, so I'm afraid they will be done before the wedding. Thanks for your input. It's a challenge to have all of the flowers in full bloom at the right time! :)

By Mac in Montreal on May 20

I might have a solution to your problem. check online to see what the average time to bloom for your variates (usually 90 days avg). Then divide your bulbs into 3 and plant 7-10 days apart starting at 85 days prior lets say. That way you won't have all of them bloom at the same time but you'll be assured that you will have some of them at the peak of their blooms.
Another solution is to plant some of them at different locations (ie:south, west, etc) so that the maturity dates will differ if you plant them at the same time.
Hope this helps! ;-)

By Anonymous on May 10

You can plant them now if the ground is warm. It can take 3 mos. For them to bloom into flowers.

By Anonymous on May 5

I know I have to dig my bulbs this fall, but not sure how to store them. My basement is heated, and the garage is VERY cold.

By Anonymous on May 3

What are good choices of other blooming plants or even showy plants to plant with glads to highlight all in the garden? Annuals and/or .

By Anonymous on May 2

I have just planted 20 gladioli bulbs last week i.e. on 29th April, when will the shoots start showing? I am in Atlanta Ga area.

By Almanac Staff on May 2

Usually it takes about 3 to 6 weeks before you see signs of the first shoots.

By Anonymous on May 2

I planted my corms almost a month ago, and haven't seen anything. Should I have seen something by now? I live in zone 7.

By Anonymous on May 2

zone 7 don't grow gladiolous

By Anonymous on April 28

I bought a bag of 70 gladiolas from BJ's wholesale club because they were really inexpensive and I got the gardening bug this year. Can I plant them the first week in May and have them bloom by the end of summer or should I store them per your earlier posts and wait to plant before the first frost? If I can plant them, should I stagger planting them so I have blooms throughout the summer?

By Almanac Staff on May 2

Now is a good time to plant bulbs for summer bloom. It's a good idea to stagger the planting to prolong the bloom time. 70 glads will make your garden smile!!

By Anonymous on April 28

I live in East TX. I found some glads in the woods behind my house. They are full bloom right now. When is the best time to dig them up to move? Is it ok now, or should I wait til the blooms fall off.

By Anonymous on April 27

I planted glads in a few spots last year they were beautiful! I decided to get rid of two of the flower beds I would like to move the corms, but I'm not sure if I can right now it's the end of April, in massachusetts south of boston we have had a cold winter and spring this year, there has been no growth yet. I have friends who leave theirs in the ground and they come back each year so I left mine. I'm just asking if I can try to move them or is it a bad time of year to do so

By Almanac Staff on May 2

You can move them now. Just be careful when you lift them so that you don't damage the corms.

By Anonymous on April 26

I planted the bulbs last year and they all came up with thin leaves, which in time just fell over - no flower stalks came up at all. They all came up again this year, but once again, it's just the leaves, no hint of a flower stalk again. What's wrong?

By Almanac Staff on April 26

If your glads are close to a lawn they may have been getting too much nitrogen from lawn fertilizers. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth. Add bone meal to the soil and in a few weeks add a bloom booster fertilizer. Also make sure that the bulbs are not planted too deep in the soil.

By Anonymous on April 24

i live in utah what zone is that?

By Anonymous on April 28

Utah varies depending on which part you live in. It ranges from 7B-7A-6B

By Anonymous

It's April 18th here in Missouri, & I have a lot of glads coming up, but its suppose to be near freezing tonight, should I cover them ..........

By Almanac Staff

Glads should be lifted in places that freeze (zone 7 and lower). If yours are in the ground, try to protect them with a greenhouse plastic covering. It will heat up the soil and speed the plant along while protecting from frost. If the corms are planted too soon in cold soil, they will rot.

By Anonymous

Hi, what zone is MA. And do the corms get dug up each winter or not?

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