This summer-blooming bulb is known for its showy flowers that come in a rainbow of colors. My favorites are the chartreuse green ones, but I also enjoy the lavenders and pink blends as well. This cherry red one pictured here was a surprise in a "pastel mix" I purchased from a discount grocery store chain.
Gladiolus can be planted in spring after the last spring frost (mid-May here in the Mid-Atlantic) and comes up in mid-summer (about 90 days). After that, it will behave as a perennial in your garden. Be sure to plant the bulb deep enough and give it some mulch for extra winter protection if you are zone 6 or lower.
Glads require full sun for best blooming and may need some staking if they are not supported by surrounding plants.
After blooming, remove the faded flowers and then cut the whole stalk down. You can also cut the stalk when just a few blooms are open to enjoy the rest as they open in your indoor arrangements.
Garden Bloggers You Can Grow That! Day was started by C. L. Fornari of Whole Life Gardening because she believes “Gardening is one of the most life-affirming things we can do.…We need to thoroughly saturate people with the belief that plants and gardening are worth doing because of the benefits gained.” Garden bloggers who agree post about something worth growing on the fourth day of every month. Read this month’s You Can Grow That! posts.
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