There are approximately 180 species of gladiolus ( Gladiolusspp . ) , which are flowering plant native to South Africa , the Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula . They grow from a fleshy , surreptitious root known as a corm , which issimilar to a bulb , and they make a financial statement in any flower garden .
Gladiolus plants are winter hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 to 10 and can be develop anywhere in the state of Florida .
Gladiolus Plant Identification
Gladiolus plants are grown for their showy flower spikes , which may have tubular or funnel - shaped flowers . The blossom do in a variety of colors , including white , pink , yellow , red and lavender , to name a few . Often plant in clumps in the landscape , gladiolus make a with child snub efflorescence and are often used in bouquets .
All the bloom on the same side of the gladiolus spike , know as a shaft , look in the same way . The size of it of the blossom varies by cultivar . Grandiflora hybrids get the large gladiolus peak , which may be between 4 and 6 in wide .
gladiolus are sometimes bring up to as sword lilies because of the shape of their leaves . These plants may reach a height of up to 6 base .
When to Plant Gladioli
In berth in Florida where winters are mild and frost - free , sword lily can be planted at any time of the year . July is study a good fourth dimension to plant gladioli in Florida regardless of where in the res publica you are locatedbecause of the species ’s power to withstand summer heating plant .
In southern Florida , September is also a good time to constitute gladiolus . In this part of the nation , you should embed sword lily every couple of weeks . This kind of staggered planting ensures a continuous fall bloom . It takes approximately three month for gladiolus corm to blossom after engraft .
Planting Gladiolus Bulbs (Corms)
- Gladiolus corm should be planted at a depth of 2 to 3 inches with a distance of 5 to 6 inches between corms . * * These plants should be farm in full sun for best results .
Tip
Gladioli should be engraft in full sun and moist , well - drain soil .
The soil should not be reserve to dry out out , and well - draining soil is a must .
In sandy Florida soils , gladiolus plants can fall down over due to the weight unit of the blooms . Therefore , post is urge for documentation .
Digging Up a Gladiolus Bulb (Corm)
In Florida ’s quick clime , gladiolus corms can be leave behind in the ground permanently . However , you may also dig up the corms at the end of the grow time of year tooverwinter them indoorsand institute them again the following year . For wintertime storage , keep the corm in a cool locating in mesh bags and dust them with antimycotic agent to prevent disease .
In Florida , gladiolus corms can be left in the ground class round or dug up in the fall and overwintered indoors .
Even if you choose to leave the corms in the ground through the wintertime , you will call for to dig them up every few age to divide the corms , as is the casing with most flowering medulla . former capitulation is take a good clock time to divide gladiolus plant in Florida . The belittled bulbs that grow from the main corm , know as cormlets , can be used to propagate new plants .
