How to Grow Gladiolus Flowers

The gladiolus or gladiola will fill up your garden with brilliantly colored spikes of big flowers. Although they don't bloom for all that long, they put on a display in the garden that can make you catch your breath. Plant corms in succession every two weeks until the end of June to prolong the flowering period. Gladioli come in a wide variety of colors, some splashed with multiple colors in artistic designs. Here is some information on how to grow gladioli in the garden.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. The gladiolus is one of the showiest plants you can grow. It grows from corms - bulb-like storage roots. You can leave the corms in the ground if you live where there are only mild frosts in the winter. If your winters offer heavy frosts or hard frosts, you can dig the bulbs in the autumn and replant them in the spring for late spring and summer blooms.

2. 
    
   Mixed gladioli

   Grow these plants in groups of six or more of the same color or type. You can even plant a whole garden of them. I prefer to plant gladioli among low shrubs or later- blooming perennials. You will want the foliage to turn brown after flowering and die back until it pulls away from the corm easily. This way the energy drains down to create next year's corm. If you grow them among other plants, the browning gladiolus foliage will be less noticeable as the surrounding plants come into bloom and distract the eye.

3. Some of the taller varieties may require some staking as the flower heads can grow heavy with big blooms.

4. 
    
   Gladiolus 'Zizane'

   You can grow glads from dwarfs at 12" tall to giants at 60". Try bi-colors like the red and white 'Zizane' or the lower growing pink and violet 'Eva'. You can find these plants in almost every color including mystical-looking greens. Mix complementary colors or go for a single color throughout the garden.

5. 
    
   Dwarf gladioli

   Grow gladioli in ordinary garden soil with average water and sunshine. They aren't particularly fussy, but they do need good drainage. A pinch of bone meal at planting time will give them a boost as will some light bulb feeding in early spring.
   
   For more about how to grow gladiolus flowers, please check the Resources below.

Resources

• Dutch Bulbs
• Landscape design and gardening information
• eHow Spring Guide

[lynsuz12]

on 4/23/2009 Love Glads, thanks for the tips. 5*

[sonni57]

on 4/18/2009 Good tips on how to grow gladiolus flowers I'll add it to the list,