Now’s Your Opportunity to Become a Glad Handler
Gladioli, gladioluses and gladiola--all correct plural forms of gladiolus--are spiky plants that produce dramatic exclamation marks of color in the spring and summer garden.
Long prized by the cut-flower industry for their role in creating bold floral arrangements, gladioli have nevertheless been overlooked by home gardeners who don’t want to be bothered staking them.
Still, glad fanciers are trying to change gardening opinion.
“Glads are great in gardens as well as in vases, where the flower stalks can last a week or more,” said Henry Wagner, president of the Southern California Gladiolus Society. “They are easy to grow and offer all types of colors. They can be solid, variegated, striped, bi-colored and even tricolored. And if you plant them right, you don’t have to stake them.”
Wagner has been growing gladioli since 1955, when he planted some at his first house in Chicago. When he moved to Southern California about 30 years ago, he brought along his enthusiasm for the summer flowers and quickly joined the local and national gladiolus societies.
At his home in Brea, Wagner grows several hundred varieties in small planting beds. At one time he grew up to 1,000 varieties.
There are many thousands of cultivars and hybrids to tempt glad fanciers. They’ve come a long way from their origins as species growing wild in Africa, parts of Europe and the Mediterranean.
There are about 300 gladiolus species, all members of the iris family. The name is Latin for “a small sword,” referring to the plant’s sword-like leaves; in the past, the plant was known as sword lily.
Glads thrive in sunny, well-draining soil. In this region, they can over-winter and flower for years. The plant grows from what is technically a corm, often called a bulb. The spiky stalks produce florets, which open in succession from the bottom of the stem to the top.
Some glads grow as tall as 6 feet; others grow 3 to 4 feet. Dwarf varieties top out at 2 to 3 feet. Flower sizes are in proportion to the overall plant size.
Colors are far-ranging, from a very deep red that looks almost black to pure white, and all colors of the rainbow in between, with the exception of true blue. The best selection is available now at nurseries and garden centers.
Of note to California gardeners is a relatively new series developed by Davids and Royston Bulb Co. and grown in northern San Diego County. ‘Califlora’ glads are the only ones grown commercially in the state and are grown exclusively for the gardening market.
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“Most glad bulbs are produced in Holland, Michigan or New Jersey and are a byproduct of the cut-flower industry,” said Michael Padden, general manager for Davids & Royston in Gardena. “We’ve been breeding glads for the past 50 years to develop sturdy plants that don’t need staking and a wide range of novel colors and color combinations.”
Growing on 75 acres in San Pasqual Valley, ‘Califlora’ is raised for its jumbo corms.
“We don’t let the crop flower,” Padden said. “We mow them so the plants’ energy goes into corm production.”
Now is also the time to plant glads.
Most varieties will flower 90 days after planting. For waves of blooms, plant successively every two weeks through March. Look for jumbo corms that are 2 inches in diameter. Size 1 or 2 corms are slightly smaller and will also produce good flower stalks. Avoid anything smaller. Corms should be plump and not too flat.
Glads require sunny locations and fertile, fast-draining soil. Wagner has to contend with adobe clay soil at home, so he amends planting beds every year with compost and peat moss, which he works well into the soil before planting.
To plant, Wagner recommends digging holes at least 6 inches deep. “If they’re planted deep enough, there’s no need to stake them because the roots and plants will be sturdy enough to support the flower spikes,” he said.
Plant glads in groupings that are at least 6 to 10 inches apart from other groupings. The taller varieties are best used as background plants.
To ensure a robust flower spike, Wagner likes to add a handful of granular fertilizer (he uses a 5-10-10 formulation) at the bottom of each hole. He covers the fertilizer with an inch of soil so the corm doesn’t come into direct contact with it.
After planting, keep the corms well-watered. Gladioli require an inch of water each week, through flowering stage.
“Water is more important than fertilizer because the corms store the essential nutrients for the plants,” Wagner said. “I do recommend applying a handful of fertilizer to the side of the plant when the leaves are about 1 foot tall and again when the flower heads form.”
Although glads are easy to grow, they can be attacked by gladiolus thrips, tiny insects that enter the flower buds and suck vital sap. The result is discolored leaves and, in the worst cases, severely damaged and discolored flowers.
Some experts advise planting glads so that they flower before thrips are most active, which occurs in hot weather. This means ending the bloom cycle by June.
Wagner and other glad fanciers prefer to enjoy their favorite flowers through July. He sprays every two weeks to combat thrips, using conventional insecticides alternately with nontoxic insecticidal soaps. Wagner suggests not using the same substance regularly so thrips don’t build up an immunity to the product.
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The flower stalks can be enjoyed in the landscape or in a floral arrangements. For indoor use, cut the stem so that two to four leaves remain on the plant. This allows the plant to store energy for the following year.
In this climate, corms can be left in the ground. They’ll flower in repeated years--until the corms rot out.
Every fall, Wagner digs his up to separate the new cormlets from the parent plant.
After digging, carefully separate corms and cormlets. Remove any leaf stalks as well as all dirt and let dry in direct sun. After a few days, dust with a fungicide and store in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant them next year.
