The Gladiolus: what a range of colours!

From pure white to mysterious purple. From bright yellow to fire engine red. Gladiolus varieties offer a surprisingly wide range of colours, so your favourite will definitely be included! But whatever colour you choose, the Gladiolus’ tall stunning habit makes it a real eye-catcher in the garden. The large-flowering varieties in particular provide a bold look. Their strong personality emerges as soon as their buds start revealing the colourful petals about to open.

Planting gladioli

The Gladiolus is classified as a summer-flowering bulb. Their corms should be planted in the spring as soon as the risk of ground frost is past. They will then flower that very summer. The Gladiolus also makes a stunning plant in pots and containers. Put them on your patio or in a spot on your balcony that could use some colour. Strangely wonderful, isn’t it, that such a small corm can produce such an imposing flower?

Gladiolus: also for the cutting garden

The stunning shape and visual impact of the Gladiolus make it highly favoured as a cut flower. They make a fantastic show in large summer bouquets to use indoors or on the garden table. If you plant a generous number of gladiolus corms, you can pick them whenever you want and your summer border will still be as colourful as ever. Or, plant them in a separate cutting garden. Here, you can plant gladioli among other summer bulbs such as dahlias (actually tubers) in various colours and shapes. Have fun picking!

Interesting facts about the Gladiolus

• The Gladiolus symbolises strength, victory and pride. It’s also a real powerhouse in the garden. Gladioli need very little care — at most, some watering if the soil becomes very dry. Otherwise, the Gladiolus can take care of itself.
• Did you know that there are also shorter varieties? Their size makes them perfect for use in pots and plant containers.
• To enhance the natural look of the flowers, scatter the corms here and there in the border and plant them wherever they land.
• Gladioli are available in small, medium and large-flowering varieties. Choose the smaller varieties for a windy location.
• The closely related Abyssinian gladiolus (Gladiolus callianthus ‘Murielae’) is an attraction in itself. This cormous plant produces white, star-shaped flowers, each with a mysterious deep purple centre. They also provide a wonderful fragrance.
• If you have a contemporary, maintenance-friendly garden featuring many low-growing groundcover plants or beds filled with a single kind of perennial plant, consider planting some gladiolus corms – in orderly fashion, of course – among these other plants. During the summer, the gladiolus plants will produce flowers above the rest.