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Gladiolus, You'll Be Glad You Planted Them!

By Jos Van Hage

Gladiolus are sometimes known as the ‘Sword Lily’ and this is because the leaves are shaped like a sword and the flower is similar to those of the lily. The funnel-shaped flowers are placed on a one-sided stem and come in a wide spectrum of color, size and also different forms such as ruffled, plain, solid colored, or bi-colored. Native to Africa, Western Asia and the Mediterranean gladiolus have been hybridized since the 1800's and are a member of the Iris family. There are around 300 different species and these have been divided into classes. The most commonly grown class in Prince George is the large flowering Giant varieties such as the "American Superglads". These come as either solid or two-tone colors and can grow up to 6 feet tall with 24 or more florets per stem making them very impressive in the garden as well as beautiful for fresh floral arrangements. Two other classes of gladiolus are the ‘Miniature’ and the ‘Butterfly’ types. The Butterfly types are a smaller plant and the flowers look like butterflies and the Miniatures are a small plant with small flowers making them great to grow in containers.

A very large percentage of gladiolus in the world are grown for the purpose of cut flowers. This is because they can last for up to a week in arrangements. If you want a long lasting arrangement cut the spike when the first floret opens as the remaining unopened florets will continue to open. Cut the spike at an angle and place it in a deep water filled bucket allowing it to have a good drink before placing it in the arrangement. When cutting the spike leave 4-6 leaves on the plant as this will help the corm in the ground mature making it ready to be re-used next year. If you are not planning on digging up the corms in the fall and storing them over the winter then you do not need to worry about leaving any leaves on the plant. To keep the arrangement looking fresh change the water daily and remove any finished florets as they appear.

Gladiolus are grown from corms which are a form of bulb. They can be either planted directly outdoors in May or better yet, started indoors in mid-April and then later transplanted outdoors at the end of May. To start the corms indoors plant one corm per 3-4 inch peat pot and place the peat pot in a tray with no holes which is then placed in a well-lit area. Harden the plants off before planting them outside by putting them outside during the day and bringing them indoors at night so that they become climatized. When planting gladiolus outside by either corm or started plant, they should be planted in a full sun location where the soil is well drained and slightly acidic (pH6). Loosen the soil and place the corm with the pointed side up 4 inches deep and spaced 5 inches apart. It is a good idea to sprinkle bulb dust which is a fungicide/insecticide on the corm before planting as this should help prevent thripes which gladiolus are prone to. Once you see growth, fertilize the new plant with a plant start fertilizer such as 12-36-12. Always keep gladiolus well-watered as this is very important in the development of the flower spike.

Gladiolus corms are not winter hardy but they can be dug up each fall after the first killing frost and stored to be replanted again the following year. In the fall after the frost has blackened the foliage cut back the foliage to about ½ an inch from the bulb. Place the bulb in a warm dry, airy place for 3 weeks. Next remove the new corms that form on top of the old original corm and throw out the old corm saving the new corms. Sprinkle bulb dust on the new corms and store them in a single layer in a well-ventilated area. Do not forget to label the corms with name, color and size so that when it comes to replanting next season you will know what they are!

Gladiolus corms are now available in the garden center and for best selection shop early.

-Jos 


Jos Van Hage owns  three Art Knapp Plantland Garden Centres in the Prince George area
-Highway 97 south at the old Cariboo Highway
-Highway 97 North
-Highway 16 west

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