Glad tidings they bring to you and yours
Years ago, many gardeners would grow gladioli among their vegetables, but it’s a practice that has gone out of fashion – few people seem to cultivate their own veg, and gladioli are considered old-fashioned and the province of flower-arrangers.
So you rarely see the flowers today other than at a few autumnal gardening shows. Sadly, this year many such shows have had to be cancelled so there is even less chance of seeing these stunning blooms.
Perhaps it’s time to start a campaign to bring back the glad times to make people aware of just how splendid these blooms are, both in the garden and indoors.
The big and blowsy glads are ideal for bringing into the home because if they are cut and lifted at the right time, they can last for weeks – pick them when the first floret is opening and the blooms will continue to mature. There are many colours from which to choose, and if you do a series of staggered plantings – a few a week from mid-April until late May – they will provide blooms throughout the summer and well into autumn.
Buy the best corms you can afford and prepare their garden home well – they are greedy flowers and like plenty of wellrotted manure around their roots.
Don’t choose a site prone to waterlogging; moist but well-draining, and where the sun shines for most of the day is ideal.
Plant the corms five inches deep and at least six inches apart. They should grow pretty quickly and may need staking to stop them being blown over.
Come late autumn you can either risk leaving the corms in the ground or lift them, clean them and store them for use the following year.
Corms should be placed in a warm room with good airflow, around 70F for two to three weeks to allow them to dry thoroughly. When this has been achieved, the old corms can be twisted off to leave a clean basal scar.