Gladiolus: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Gladiolus | Tree Homes

For generations, these classic flower spikes have adorned midsummer gardens and bouquets. Gladiolus is usually divided into a miniature to gigantic classes by flower size. Some of the most popular varieties from 3 to 4 feet tall come in a wide range of colors: red, hot pink, yellow, cream, coral and even green. While many gardeners grow gladiolus for use as cut flowers, they are also attractively planted with zinnias, lavatera, and celosia in an annual garden.

Gladiolus Flower

Planting

This is not a difficult plant to grow, but before you add it to your garden you will need to know a few things about it. For their care, some of the most important considerations include:

When to plant them–Usually these crops take at least 60 days to bloom, so depending on where you live. Generally speaking, you'll want to plant them about a month before the season's last frost. The Spacing–You'll want to plant them about six inches from each other and at least two inches into the soil to make sure these crops grow correctly. You'll need to go a little deeper into the soil with larger corms.

Soil – Well-drained soil will be best for this crop; some gardeners actually prefer sandy soil. They are supposed to get at least one inch of water a week. You can place two to three inches of mulch at the base of the plant to help keep moisture in the soil.

Care

After planting, Gladioli do not need much attention. If at planting time the weather is dry, you can water the bulbs once, but do not water them until you see shoots or promote rot.

Any soil that is well-drained is fine to grow gladiolus bulbs. Although gladness can tolerate shallow planting, it offers assistance for emerging shoots by putting them at least six inches under the surface of the soil.

High varieties are likely to need staking to prevent flopping in the wind of the flower spikes. Hilling the soil will help, but the best way to keep flower stalks upright is to stake individual flower spikes or create a grid with stakes and string.

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