Gladioli: Planting and Care in the Open Ground

Gladiolus

Gladioli are grandiose and beautiful flowers on long stems, highly decorative and able to last a long time when cut. Historical records indicate that even in Ancient Rome, they adorned the blooming gardens of high-ranking aristocrats and were especially beloved. Planting and caring for them is not particularly difficult, although they require more labor than growing ordinary low perennials. They thrive in open ground, but the popularity of members of the iris family is not due to their ease of maintenance and lack of gardening. Rather, gardeners are drawn to this noble plant because of its inimitable showiness and spectacular appearance.

Gladioli come in several thousand varieties, varying in height, color variety, flower shape, petal count, and stamen shape, all lovingly crafted by breeders. Planting and caring for them consumed the time and leisure of their many admirers, who strove to create a unique variety or perfect certain qualities. Today, growing gladioli outdoors has become hassle-free, thanks to the development of hybrid varieties, which enhance or multiply their valuable properties.

Caring for gladioli isn't so much a labor-intensive process as it is a means of achieving aesthetic satisfaction when beautiful flowers in your own garden attract the attention of passersby and evoke their admiration.

Gladiolus, iris family

The flower's name comes from the Latin word for sword (gladius), and its second name reflects similar associations among people living in temperate climates. A less common name for the flower is gladiolus, due to its long, pointed leaves, reminiscent of a sword blade (photo 1). Wildlife includes Siberia and Madagascar, the Mediterranean coast, and the southern tip of the African continent.

A sad legend tells that the flower appeared after the Thracians Seuthes and Teres, who were devoted friends, stuck their swords into the ground to avoid fighting each other on the enemy's orders. After they were killed, beautiful flowers appeared in their place.

The diversity of species bred by breeders has led to gladiolus flowers, including planting, care, and possible propagation methods, now producing plants ranging from 50 to 220 cm in height. The gladiolus's color range exceeds the human imagination, even including black and green specimens. This bulbous plant still retains its characteristic leaf shape, but its funnel-shaped flowers can range in width from 2 cm in the wild to 25 cm in carefully cultivated plants.

Gathered on a stem in the form of a spike, they grow in varying numbers, up to 20 or more, but only a few bloom at a time. A single gladiolus, whose blooming time is determined by the number of flowers on the stem, can last a long time in a vase, sprouting new funnels at the top of the stem, replacing those dying at the bottom.

The most spectacular and eye-catching varieties are available for cultivation to any gardener:

Yuri Mametsky, crimson with red at the edges of the funnel;
Elegy, with a dark burgundy, almost black flower;
White Snowstorm and the First Ball are dazzling white;
golden Pantry of the Sun;
Orange Summer is a radical orange shade and more.

Interesting: The Van Tingoven variety, painted in orange-red halftones, opens 6 flowers at a time, of which there are 18 on the stem.

This popular plant from the iris family has many fans because it has undeniable advantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of gladiolus

The question of how to plant gladioli, which method to choose, which varieties to choose, and where to buy high-quality planting material confronts anyone who's decided to grow gladioli for the first time. Growing and caring for this flower may indeed seem challenging for the novice, but it all comes with time and experience.

But this process has undeniable bonuses that more than compensate for the initial difficulties:

There are about 170 species and thousands of varieties of this beautiful plant;
it can be grown for decorative purposes, as an element of a garden or park composition, part of a flower garden or any flower bed;
Gladiolus is grown with commercial spruce trees, forcing them in a greenhouse, or planting spectacular varieties for cut flowers:
Its funnel-shaped flowers can be small, medium, large and giant and satisfy any decorative needs, from a small vase to a grand garland;
Selection has made the edges of the flowers smooth, folded, fringed and corrugated;
On a spike-like stem, flowers can be arranged in one, two, three rows, or even in a zigzag pattern;
the color scheme not only includes all conceivable shades of the spectrum visible to the human eye, but can also smoothly transition from one color to another, combine several shades, and be decorated with additional elements;
the plant is perennial and will delight the eye with its flowering for 3-4 years;
Gladioli come in varieties ranging from very early to very late, and with skillful selection they can fill an entire plot, making it bloom from the end of May to mid-autumn;
Stems of different lengths will help you use gladiolus for any purpose.

Please note: It's best to purchase high-quality seeds and planting material for this type of plant in specialized gardening stores, where you can not only choose the variety you like, but also be guaranteed to receive it upon purchase.

The only so-called drawbacks of this beautiful plant include specific planting and care requirements, and the tendency of its flowers to become smaller and lose their color after a certain period. However, it lasts for several years, unlike annuals, which need to be replenished annually.

Planting material, location and soil

The visual characteristics of future plants depend on two key factors: high-quality planting material and properly selected and prepared soil. A distinctive feature of this iris family in its cultivated form is its demanding nature regarding the site and the quality of its preparation. Growing gladioli outdoors means that simply planting a bulb or plant in a dug-up bed is not possible. The soil is dug twice, once in the fall and once in the spring, adding sand to loam, compost to sandy soil, and dolomite flour to reduce acidity in acidic soil.

The soil should be light loamy or sandy loam, neutral in acidity, and the list of conditions for planting gladioli in the spring, so that they grow beautifully and successfully, begins with the requirements for site preparation.

Important: The soil should be well-drained, and the planting site should be located in a warm and sunny place, protected not only from the wind, but also from drafts.

Superphosphate fertilizers and potassium salt are added to the compost added to the soil in the fall. Those who have been cultivating irises for a long time have their own planting material – bulbs dug up in the fall. Planting material must be carefully selected, and this is the key to growing marketable gladioli. Purchased bulbs are inspected for damage or diseased spots, choosing ones that are neither too large nor too small. Before planting, they are cleaned of scales; if a small damaged spot is found, they are trimmed with a heated knife and coated with brilliant green.

Advice: If the planting material has already started to sprout green shoots, there is nothing to worry about; you just need to try not to damage them and plant them in the ground intact.

Planting, watering and fertilizing

Sprouted gladioli bulbs, placed in a warm place on a damp cloth or napkin (up to the beginnings of roots and the shoot on top), can be planted in prepared soil. Gladioli should be planted outdoors in spring after the bulbs have been treated with an antiseptic solution. Otherwise, the risk of disease is very high. Large bulbs should be planted at least 15 cm deep, while medium-sized bulbs can be planted at a depth of 9-10 cm. Small gladioli can be planted at a depth of 5-6 cm.

For reference:Planting the plant too deeply will result in late flowering. Add a little sand to the bottom of the furrow.

Gladiolus beds require regular weeding and mulching to retain moisture. Watering should be regular, avoiding the plant's leaves; it's best to apply the necessary water into furrows dug between the rows.

Gladioli require 4-time feeding:

a quarter cup of diluted ammonium nitrate under each plant when it reaches 20 cm;
also potassium fertilizer as soon as the 4th leaf appears;
when buds are forming - use a special purchased product according to the instructions;
superphosphate fertilizers as soon as the flowering period is over.

Fact:The soil should be moistened so that the roots of the plants (approximately 35 cm deep) are in the moistened layer.

The answer to the question of how to plant gladioli so they don't fall over doesn't offer many positive options. The flower will need to be tied to a stake, whether it's half a meter or 220 cm tall.

Flowers are cut late in the evening, when there is no longer any sunlight, and if they are to be transported, the best option is to cut them at the two-bud stage, and they will open during transport.

The plant is susceptible to viruses, fungi, and bacteria, so it's best to prepare for the challenges ahead and stock up on the necessary pest control products.