I love gladioli. I like to have them to put into bouquets during much of the summer so I plant them sporadically.
I start in early or mid-May (once the frost is done). Ten go into the ground a couple of inches down.
Since they are going to need stakes eventually, the stakes get placed next to them. This way, their spots are marked and they will merely need to be tied when the flowers begin to sprout out of the leaves.
After another ten to twelve days, I plant them again. I repeat this process for several weeks until my bulbs are all in the ground.
They emerge by sending a stalk up out of the ground. Often, there will be two stalks which is wonderful as this means that there will be two flowers from the same plant. When the flowers begin to open, they are picked and placed in vases around the house. Or, they are matched up with other cut flowers and given away to friends.
When buying bulbs, I look for bright, beautiful colors. There are quite a few different species of gladioli to choose from, so take some time looking around for the best –looking ones. With a little care, these bulbs can be kept for many years.
Where winters aren’t severe, gladioli will live through them in the soil. However, for those of us in the north, we need to dig them up and take them indoors for the winter.
- In the fall (before the first frost), pull each whole plant out of the ground. Be careful not to separate the leaves from the bulbs.
- Then place them on some old newspapers in a shady, airy place to dry. I put them on the floor in my screen porch. Keep them protected from frost while they are drying.
- After about two weeks, they are ready to prepare to store. Pull the bulbs gently from the leaves and separate the new bulbs from the old, shriveled ones. Place them in a container with wood shavings. Store in a cool place that doesn’t freeze such as a basement or root cellar.
- The bulbs will be ready to replant in the spring!
ADVERTISEMENT
I love these flower so beautiful
This is my first year and have some beautiful flowers but noticed today that a few tops are kinda shriveling up and look wilted. Not sure if it is a bug but don't see any. Is there something I can use to spray if there is a bug? Is it maybe too little water? I water them everyday but was gone for two days and it was in the 90's. Would that have done it? Only about 8 out of 35 are doing this. Please help!
Admire your farming skills - my scattered gladioli survived the 2017-2018 harsh winter but not all flowered; I'd love to dig them up and just replant them more closely together in my yard for next year. Any suggestions on the "how" and "when" to do this chore? Thanks in advance.
My glads all seem to streaks of white in the blooms. They are not all the same color. What can I do next year to prevent this?
Hi Kathy, You may need to buy new glads. They may have cross-pollinated on you.
I'm shopping for glads, I'm in OKlahoma, zone 7, are they hardy enough to stay in ground through winter with possibly some mulch ( straw, compost) and how long will they bloom thru out the summer?
Hi Ida, I am not completely knowledgeable about other planting zones, but you may be able to keep them in the ground with some mulch. In that case, though, I don't know when they would bloom. I stagger plant mine so that they keep coming all summer long. Each bulb blooms once although many will send up two stems and have two flowers.
I planted several bulbs late spring and all that grew was the stalks. I never got any flowers from them. I live in Mo. near Stl. Any thoughts?
Hi Don, You may get flowers yet. I just got my first few and I planted them in early May. Don't give up yet! They come fast when they come.
My dog dug up a bulb and snapped the top off. Will it grow a new one or just die?
Comments