James H. Schutte
Family
Iridaceae
Botanical Name
Gladiolus
Plant Common Name
Gladiola, Gladiolus, Sword Lily
General Description
The leaves are long, strap or sword-shaped and equitant, which means they overlap and unfold like a fan. The flower spikes appear in spring, summer or autumn. The colorful, funnel-shaped blooms have six petals/tepals that join at the base. They line the tall stems on one side and open from the bottom of the spike up. Most gladioli grown today are hybrids of complex origin. Nonetheless, there are three distinct types of Gladiolus hybrids with differing characteristics.
The Grandiflora Group encompasses most of the familiar large-flowered garden hybrids. These cold-tender plants produce crowded spikes of large flowers, many of which open simultaneously. Grandiflora glads are usually planted in spring as seasonal bulbs, blooming 2 or 3 months after planting. They will overwinter in mild climes, eventually forming large clumps that produce many flower spikes in spring. The Grandiflora Group is further subdivided by flower color and size.
Smaller, hardier, early-blooming cultivars comprise another group of gladiolus hybrids. They produce slighter, daintier flower spikes with fewer, smaller, more widely spaced blooms. The flowers often have blotches on their upper lobes. Plants may go dormant in summer. The Nanus, Colvillei, and Charm hybrids are among the cultivars in this group.
Bearing large, hooded, relatively widely spaced blooms in summer, cultivars in the Primulinus Group are hybrids derived from the yellow-flowered species G. dalenii, formerly known as G. primulinus. The orchid-like blooms number 14 to 19 per spike, with as many as 7 open at once. These hybrids tend to be more cold- and heat-hardy than the Grandiflora types.
Plant Gladiolus in full sun and well-drained fertile soil. The Grandiflora hybrids look best when planted in masses or rows for cutting. Smaller types work well in perennial borders and cottage gardens. If their corms are planted at intervals, successions of blooms grace the garden for continuous viewing. Cut or remove the flower stalk just below the first leaf so the remaining foliage can replenish the corm for next season’s blooms. Where not hardy, tender glad corms can be lifted and stored in a cool dry location indoors until danger of frost has passed.
