Buying Gladiolus

Not all bulbs have to be ordered and planted by the first frost.




When I think of late summer and early fall on my terrace, I think of a lovely flower that I plant as late as June. Gladiolus callianthus "Murielae" is a mouthful that conjures up the ruffled, flamboyantly awful Dame Edna-esque gladioli that gave the plant a bad name.

No. Instead, think Audrey Hepburn.

Native to East Africa this is a delicate, aristocratic flower with three to five blooms at the end of a gracefully tall stem. It is scented, come evening.

I buy my gladiolus corms long after the summer bulb rush, when the last packets are being sold cheaply on local plant shop shelves. I hurry them home, soak them overnight in water and plant them 3" deep in well-draining soil. The sword-shaped, ribbed leaves are ornamental in their own right and collect raindrops and dew like diamonds.






The flowers open in late September in my USDA hardiness zone of 6b. They are white with burgundy painted on their throats. Occasionally I lose a corm to rot from melting snow or poor drainage, but from USDA 6-10 I would leave them in the soil through winter, lifting and storing them in a cool, dry, dark place only in colder areas.

Looking for more summer bulbs?

-Easy Summer Bulbs: Lilies