How to Plant Hardy Gladiolus

Hardy gladiolus is a perennial variety of the gladiolus family that is more cold hardy than most other gladiolus. Hardy gladiolus are also tolerant of diverse soil conditions, so they can be grown in most regions without extensive preparation. The first step in growing hardy gladiolus is the planting process. As long as the gladiolus corms are planted correctly, you can have beautiful flowers in as little as 10 weeks.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Compost

Instructions

1. Locate a spot to plant the hardy gladiolus. The corms should be planted in a sunny area with protection from wind. A spot beside a fence works well as long as the ground gets sunlight for several hours a day.

2. Loosen the soil to a depth of 12 inches with a shovel. Chop the soil with the shovel to break up any clumps to improve the soil's drainage. The corms need to be spaced at least 4 inches apart, so use this as a reference for how large an area you must prepare.

3. Mix in 6 inches of compost or other organic material if you have clay soil. Hardy gladiolus can have difficulty establishing itself in dense soil unless the soil is amended.

4. Dig 5-inch deep holes for each corm you wish to plant. The holes should be twice as wide as the size of the corms.

5. Place the corms in the holes. Fill in the holes loosely with soil. Do not pack the soil down as it can restrict gladiolus growth.

References

• Michigan State University Extension: Hardy Gladiolus
• University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Types of Gladiolus