Glad to return

Now is a good time to follow the right procedure to accomplish this because it all starts with the cutting of those tall, gorgeous spikes of richly coloured blooms.

The best times of day to gather your gladiolus are early morning and late afternoon, when the stems are full of moisture. Choose those on which two or three of the flowers have opened. Be sure to leave as many leaves as you can on the plant when you cut these flowering stalks for display. The remaining leaves continue to gather nutrients for the corms for the rest of the growing season. Cut too many leaves and small corms will result.

The North American Gladiolus Council recognises 28 different basic colours. The genus boasts a luscious collection of some of the most beautiful of all shades: coral, lavender, crimson, salmon, cream, orange, rose, tan and even green. It’s not surprising that gardeners want to save some of these colours to enjoy the following year.

After we receive the first hard frost, hopefully not until mid-October, the glad corms can be dug up from the ground. Cut away the dead leaves and spread the corms to dry in a shallow tray. You’ll notice several little cormlets attached to each main corm.

These can be left as is until the following year. When you replant them, separate them and plant the young ones in a nursery bed to grow on. It will take them several years to reach the flowering stage though.

Gently peel off the outermost husks of the corms to reveal any that are diseased or rotting. Discard those ones. You don’t want this to spread to the others. Dust the rest with an insecticide-fungicide and store them over the winter at 40° to 50° Farenheit. Old nylon stockings are ideal because they can be hung up to allow air circulation around the corms. Don’t keep them in a closed container because it could cause the corms to sweat and sprout.

Problems with growing gladiolus this year? Give them the following conditions and they should thrive: full sun, a light sandy soil enriched with compost and water during times of drought. To extend the blooming period, plant them in the spring at over several weeks. Plant them four to six inches apart, covering them with the same measurement of soil. Fertilize when the spikes begin to poke out of the ground with a 5-10-5 formulation and again after the flowers are picked.

Don’t forget to stake them. You don’t want those regal looking blooms to receive any bruises or discoloration from bouncing on the ground in the breeze.