Horticultural aide-mémoire

Plant gladioli

The gladiolus is due a comeback. Its dramatic form is well suited to a vase in the hall in summer. Retrieve the corms from their box in the shed, sort them out and bring them to a nursery row on spare ground. Cultivate a planting tilth and set a line so that it pings against the ground. With a trowel, work along the row, planting the corms 3in deep and 1ft apart. Then insert a cane at either end of the row and secure a line of twine 1ft above the ground, to support the leaves as they grow. SCD