Kia hora te manno
Kia whakapapa paumamu te moana
Kia tere te Karohirohi

May the calm be widespread
May the sea glisten like the greenstone
And may the glimmer of summer dance across your pathways

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

GLORIOUS GLADS

This is another plant my mother grew, and I have followed in her footsteps. They are a stunningly beautiful flower to have in your garden, coming in many wonderful colors.


Gladiolas are very sensitive to frost, so planting should wait until frost has passed and if you live in an area in which frost is a regular occurrence, you will need to dig up the bulbs during the autumn before the first frost, and store them in your home. For warmer, frost-free areas, you can leave your gladiolas in the ground during the winter months, although I have left mine in the garden and they have come back.


These flowers like maximum sunlight, however,they will still flower in partial shade. Gladiolas require moist soil, but with good drainage.

When planting several glads at once, ensure that you leave about four to six inches of space between corm bulbs. The more space you give your plant the bigger your plant will grow.

Gladiolas come in many colors and generally bloom between July and September each year. They have an average height of anywhere from forty to sixty inches and are lovely in your home, as cut flowers, or make a stunning display in your garden.


6 comments:

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

It is nice to see flowers coming in with a wide range of colour. I thought white, though it is too simple a colour, it soothes the eyes. ~bangchik

Laura said...

I love glads! We recently had a grower at my garden clubs garden party who brought bags of refrigerated glads as goodie bags! He said to plant them right away and we'd have glads this fall after everyone else's had already bloomed! It was a mixed colour bag, I can't wait to find out what I got!

Becca's Dirt said...

You have a beautiful assortment of glads. Very colorful. I currently don't have any so I am enjoying yours.

Darla said...

I am in North Florida and I leave mine in the ground year round as well. They are stunning but can require a little staking at times.

Ginny said...

Your glads are glorious. Mine are on the downside of bloom time now. I leave them in the ground year round though we do have frost here. They're planted near the house in a protected area, so maybe that is why they overwinter. Mine are all pink and mauve shades, and I would love some other colors. They do look stunning in a vase. The only problem I have had is that they will break off in a heavy rainstorm - but then I just bring the blooms inside!

Jester said...

I love your Galds! The few times I gave them a try I had no luck. Maybe agaginin the future. You take amazing pictures as well!